Lifted from ->
http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/51877/geminid-meteor-shower-peaks-december-13-and-14Thursday, December 13, 2007
Our planet Earth is now passing through a stream of debris in space.
Some of this debris will enter Earth’s atmosphere to appear as “shooting stars” in our night sky. In other words, these next few nights are the peak nights of the Geminid meteor shower. Tonight and Friday night are great times to look.
The Geminids are one of the year’s best meteor showers. It’s a consistent and prolific shower that typically produces 50 or more meteors an hour, or about one every minute. You can expect the Geminid meteors to start flying around mid-evening tonight.
The moderately fast Geminid meteors slice through Earth’s atmosphere at some 35 kilometers – or 22 miles – per second. These meteors originated in a mysterious object called 3200 Phaethon, which looks like a cross between an asteroid and a burned-out comet. The Geminid meteors are named for the constellation Gemini, the Twins. If you were to track these meteors backwards on the sky’s dome, you’d find them streaming from a single point in the sky. This point – called the radiant point – lies close to Gemini’s bright star, Castor.
But you don’t need to know Gemini to see the meteor shower. Tonight’s Geminid meteors will streak all over the sky. Just find a dark sky, and enjoy.
So, remember, keep your eyes peeled for this:
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