Best Places to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower

Ever wish on a falling star? You probably know those aren't stars at all but meteors, small pieces of space debris that burn up when they enter the earth's atmosphere. Regardless of what they are, they are always amazing to watch. Every year there are two meteor showers that are always worth watching, the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December. Researchers at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, report that the Persdieds have been declining in recent years making the Geminids the best meteor shower for viewing. Regardless, the Geminids have always been easier to watch with the naked eye but the Perseids have always been more popular because of the warm time of year they arrive coinciding with vacations.

So, what is the Geminids shower? The Geminids are named for the constellation of Gemini, the showers radiant, or point of origin. The Geminids stream away from a northeastern spot in the constellation of Gemini around the planet Mars and the second brightest star in the constellation, Castor.

Meteor showers are caused by the earth crossing into the path of a comet. That doesn't seem to be the case with the Geminids. Their source was discovered in 1983 by two British astronomers and that it appeared to be an asteroid called 3200 Phaelthon. Asteroids are thought to be formed of rock in the inner warmer parts of the solar system while comets are formed in the colder parts and are made of ice and rock. An asteroid that creates a meteor shower like a comet is relatively unheard of. It is now believed that 3200 Phaelthon is an extinct comet or that the source of the Geminids is in fact another, unidentified extinct comet.

Either way it's a spectacular show, with the height being on December 13. The moon will be coming out the new moon phase making for an optimal dark viewing sky and Phaelthon will be passing 11 million miles from earth, the closest since it's discovery. The number of meteors is predicted to be between 60 and 120 an hour. They have a reputation of being very bright, slow and graceful with very few visible trails.

The meteors will be visible almost everywhere, but those in Central Asia moving across the Pacific to Alaska will have not only the best view but will see the most meteors. The meteors start to appear at the line of horizon at twilight with the peek showing being between 10:00 pm and 2:00 pm, the later in the night the more meteors will be visible.

Tips for watching the meteor shower:

* Give your eyes some time to adjust to the darkness.

* Pick a spot where there is little light pollution. Viewing from a field is going to yield better results than from in the middle of a large city with a lot of lights in the skyline.

* Plan to watch after midnight, the greatest number of meteors will be visible.

* Set up in a reclining lawn chair, this will save your neck from having to look up.

* Watch the sky at about 50 degrees up from the horizon and pick a point away from the radiant point.

* Make sure nothing is blocking more than 20 percent of your line of site. This includes trees, buildings and clouds.

* Take a break about once an hour to rest your eyes and get something warm to drink.

Sources:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/12207486.html