Care for a Geminid?

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Well, one of my favorite meteorologists, News 2's Justin Bruce, just beat me to the punch on this, but here ya go anyway. If you're not doing anything between about 10:00pm and midnight this evening, you should consider finding a nice, dark spot to set up camp for a while and gaze into the night sky. That's right, tonight is the peak of arguably the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids. Oh and just so you know, the forecast is perfect for optimal viewing--not a cloud in the sky.

Space.com writes,

"The Geminid event is known for producing one or two meteors every minute during the peak for viewers with dark skies willing to brave chilly nights...The Geminids are a very fine winter shower, and usually the most satisfying of all the annual showers, even surpassing the Perseids. Studies of past displays show that this shower has a reputation for being rich both in slow, bright, graceful meteors and fireballs as well as faint meteors, with relatively fewer objects of medium brightness. Many appear yellowish in hue. Some even appear to form jagged or divided paths."

SkyTonight.com writes,

"The Geminid meteor shower, possibly the year's best, should peak late tonight in the moonless dark sky. The best time should be from about 10 p.m. until moonrise before dawn."

Finally, the American Meteor Society (AMS) writes,

"The Geminid shower is the favorite of most experienced observers. While most showers wax and wane throughout the years, the Geminids almost always provide an impressive display of celestial fireworks...Near maximum activity this shower can produce over 100 shower members per hour as seen from rural locations..."

There ya have it, grab some blankets and coffee, brave the chill, and wonder at the beauty of the evening.

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