Geminid Meteor Shower to Put On Spectacular Show Tonight

Astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi caught this Geminid meteor in 2009.

The upside to clear, blue, sunny days is clear, starry nights. And if you get a new moon on top of clear nights and a meteor shower on top of the dark moonless sky, you have a wonderful trifecta of star gazing opportunity. But beyond all that, tonight's show is shaping up to be no oridinary Geminid meteor shower. NASA is saying there’s a second possible meteor shower that could significantly boost the number of meteors on display. The source of the possible new shower is Comet 46P/Wirtanen. Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office says debris left in Wirtanen’s orbit might produce as many as 30 meteors per hour, added to the 100 meteors per hour from the Geminids. This is one meteor shower you don't want to miss!

Named for the constellation of Gemini, the Twins, the Geminids appear to emanate from a spot in the sky near the bright star Castor in Gemini. The constellation Gemini will begin to come up above the east-northeast horizon at nightfall. So you might even catch sight of a few early Geminids as soon as the sky gets dark. In addition to light streaking overhead, you may also spot "Earth-grazing" meteors, long, bright shooting stars that streak overhead from a point near the horizon. The Geminids will gather steam after 10 pm, peaking around 2 am, when the star Castor - the point the Gemids radiate from - will be passing almost directly overhead.

When the sky is dark (new moon) the Geminids tend to be among the most exciting of all the annual meteor showers. The Geminds have a reputation for being rich both in slow, bright, graceful meteors and fireballs as well as faint meteors. Many appear yellowish in hue. Some even appear to travel jagged or divided paths.

All that being said, you won't see much at all if you're too cold to stay outside for long. Dress more warmly than you think you need to, and bring along a thermos of something hot to drink. And if you're looking for a good viewing spot, I'm told that Cherry Hill often draws meteor shower watchers. So if you want company, head over there. But whatever you do, don't miss this one - there is nothing quite like a meteor shower to connect you to the vast universe beyond our tiny corner of the world.