Annual Geminid meteor shower to appear in a sky near you
TAMPA (FOX 13) - One of the most eye-catching meteor showers will peak Wednesday night. The annual Geminid meteor shower has arrived, with the potential of one or two visual meteors per minute.
You may see a few early in the evening, but the best viewing times will be between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., says FOX 13's meteorologist Tyler Eliasen.
According to NASA, the Geminids are active every December, when Earth passes through a massive trail of debris shed by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The debris burns up when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, creating “shooting stars.”
"Phaethon's nature is debated," said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. "It's either a near-Earth asteroid or an extinct comet, sometimes called a rock comet."
The best view will be from the Northern Hemisphere, and Eliasen recommends you look high in the southwest sky, away from bright lights.
If it’s cloudy from where you are, NASA will live stream the Geminid shower starting at sunset.