14 DAY TRIAL // The best meteor shower of this year is going to be hitting its peak tonight, a few days before the holidays, so skywatchers should prepare to be amazed by the 120 meteors that should be seen every hour.
The star of tonight's show is the Geminid meteor shower, which is an annual mid-December rain of meteors that will reach its height tonight and early tomorrow morning.
Skywatchers in North America should have a very good view by late tonight, but once the moon sets, at about 12:30am local time tomorrow, the conditions will become optimal.
Actually, the best time to enjoy the Geminids will be at 6 am EST (1100 GMT), when the shower should be at its most active.
However, it is winter outside, so skywatchers should remember a few tips before getting out of their cozy homes to see the shower, and the most important one of all is to stay warm and comfortable.
SPACE.com's skywatching columnist Joe Rao has said the Geminids are “usually the most satisfying of all the annual showers” when “they can even surpass the famous Perseid meteors of August at their peak.”
This means that if you are lucky enough to have clear skies and good weather, you might be able to see up to 120 meteors an hour during the meteor shower's peak.
If you don't know where to look for the Geminid meteor shower, here is a sky map that could help you out, during peak today and tomorrow.
The starting point of the meteors will appear to be a spot in the sky near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini (the Twins) – the one responsible for the shower's name.
Normally, the Geminids are one of the most spectacular displays of 'shooting stars' of every year, and this time nothing should be different.
NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, a meteor expert at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement that the Geminids are his favorite, “because they defy explanation.”
Cooke will be hosting NASA's "Up All Night" event from the Marshall center during the Geminid meteor shower, which will be a very good opportunity for skywatchers to check in on the Geminid meteor shower without having to stay outside into the cold.
NASA will hold a web chat to discuss about the Geminids today at 3pm EST (2000 GMT), and Cooke will take over at 11pm EST (0400 Dec. 14) for a six-hour Geminids observing campaign, during which he will be answering questions via web chat on how the 2010 Geminid meteor display appears.
Also, you can watch the Geminids here later on, on NASA's Live Video/Audio Feed:
