LOOK UP! Geminid Meteor Shower Could Be Best Meteor Shower Of The Year
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Geminid Meteor Shower, one of the brightest meteor showers, appears every year in December.
This year is no different.
The night of Thursday, Dec. 13 into Friday, Dec. 14 is when this particular meteor shower "peaks," with the potential to see 30-40 meteors an hour.
Just know, though, this is Pittsburgh in December, so clouds like to spoil just about everything, and tonight will be no different.
Mostly cloudy skies will likely hamper tonight's view of these Geminids. If, though, we get an early, Christmas miracle, the best time to watch is after Moonset, which is 10:48 p.m.
You should let your eyes adjust to the darkness, then look straight up. The best showing is slated for 2 a.m., Friday morning, but meteors are possible anytime after sunset.
According to the NASA blog "Watch The Skies", the Geminid Meteor Shower occurs when the Earth passes through dusty debris left behind from a rocky object in space named 3200 Phaethon.
This dust burns up when it encounters the Earth's atmosphere.