Stargazers delight tonight as Geminid meteor shower reaches peak
First things first. The forecast. It's looking great for viewing the night sky tonight. Expect a clear sky and with the moon already setting for the day, there's no extra light to mask any meteor fly-bys. It won't be as cold as recent nights either, but still bundle up with temps in the low 30s.
The Geminid meteor shower is a must see and it's expected to peak tonight! The Geminids are especially good to check around and shortly after midnight, from the darkest location you can get to away from any light pollution. This year, with just 1.4% of the moon visible as it's just beginning its waxing crescent phase and the time setting so early make for an extra dark sky above.
Geminid meteors tend to be bold, white and quick. Experts explain the reason being they are derived from an asteroid rather than a comet, must include rock-sized pieces, which as they burn up in the atmosphere are often bright and do not leave trails.
So what can you expect, how often and how many might you see?
The hourly rate for this shower is over one hundred. A dark night, near the peak of the shower like tonight, you can often catch 50 or more meteors per hour.
By the way, this shower favors Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. All great things pointing to one of the better years to catch these in the night sky!
I'm meteorologist Rebecca Schuld