Geminid Meteor Shower 2011 Happens Tonight: How to Find Them in the Sky

Geminid Meteor Shower 2011 Happens Tonight: How to Find Them in the Sky

The Geminid meteor shower, the last sizeable meteor shower of 2011, peaks on the night of December 13-14 (December 14-15 in the Philippines) starting after 10 p.m. and lasting until dawn.

"Observers with clear skies could see as many as 40 Geminids per hour," predicts Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. "Our all-sky network of meteor cameras has captured several early Geminid fireballs. They were so bright, we could see them despite the moonlight."

Geminids, which spray out of the constellation Gemini, streak by in a second or less, sometimes in clusters anywhere in the sky.

The best way to see them is to find a nice, dark place with no street lights and as few trees as possible, and look up. It's important for you to let your eyes get used to the darkness. Android users, however, can use Google Sky Map to easily find Gemini.

The source of the Geminids is near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Most meteor showers come from comets, so having an asteroid as a parent makes the Geminids a bit of an oddball.