Geminid meteor shower will brighten skies on December 14
The Geminid meteor shower, one of the most intense annual showers that can be observed in the northern hemisphere, will peak on the night of December 13 to December 14 this year.
Unlike last year, when the Geminid shower coincided with the new moon, this year’s peak is several days from a full moon, whose light will overpower about half of the meteor streaks.
Nevertheless, with a peak rate of about 100-120 meteors per hour this year, according to NASA, it should still make for a good light show.
Complicating matters somewhat for Bulgaria, the weather forecast has cloudy conditions, especially in the eastern part of the counry.
Unlike the better-known Perseids (July-August) or Leonids (November), the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first reports occuring in the 1830′s citing rates of about 20 per hour, according to NASA.
The Geminids, named so because the meteors appear from the middle of the Gemini constellation, are debris left in its wake by asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
(Photo by kevlewis/flickr.com)
