Geminid meteor showers should be widely visible tonight
Meteor showers in December can be difficult to watch because many times in Syracuse and central New York, skies are filled with cloud cover. However, the weather is going to cooperate giving us an opportunity to capture a “gem” of a show. Just make sure to wear a jacket as temperatures should be 30-35°.
The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight and into the wee hours of Friday morning. The shower is expected to begin around 10 p.m. and peak around 2 a.m.
At its maximum, over 100 meteors could streak across the sky per hour! With only a thin veil of high clouds expected overhead, you should be able to see these “shooting stars” overnight. In addition, this year’s show might be even higher than last year’s due to an additional concurrent meteor shower. Click here for more information on this second meteor shower.
Here’s how to view them: It’s best to travel to a location that has a minimum of ambient light. Move as far away from street lights as possible. The good news is that there is very little to no moonlight since the moon is near “new moon” stage. You should look eastward this evening to find the constellation “Gemini”. The constellation and its meteor showers move more overhead during the middle of the night and into the very early morning hours.
Check out these videos here and here for more information.
Will you be viewing the Geminid meteor shower? Will you be taking digital pictures of them? If so, please post any meteor shower pictures on our website here and Facebook page here. Let me know if you see anything and/or where you are viewing them from with comments here and our Facebook page here.
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