Geminid Meteor Shower Peaking Tonight

If you're out late tonight or up very early Friday morning take a look up to the sky because you may just be able to catch a glimpse of one of the most brilliant meteor showers around!  The Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak tonight with the best viewing likely after 1am.

The Geminid meteor shower peaks for almost a full 24 hours from December 13th-14th.  It's composed from the debris field of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon and has increased in intensity from when it was first seen back in 1862.  With a new moon tonight the sky should be darker than previous nights with nearly 50 meteors per hour possible.

For the best viewing of the Geminid meteor shower, you want to make sure you get away from the glare of the city lights.  Optimum viewing would be out in the country.  Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark once you're out; usually about 20-30 minutes.  The Geminid radiant point is over the eastern horizon after 6pm and the early rising time for the radiant point is typically why the Geminid shower is worth catching in the evening; especially if you're not a late-night owl.  The peak time for the shower is around 1am/2am.  Skies should remain fairly clear tonight, although there may be a few of those wispy cirrus clouds around with lows around 29°.  Friday night don't expect much as cloud cover and rain are expected to move in.