STATEWIDE — Want to see something that’s really “out-of-this-world”? Take a few minutes Sunday night to look up at the sky.
The annual Geminid Meteor Shower, which occurs from Dec. 4 through Dec. 17, is expected to peak Sunday night into Monday morning, according to NASA.
The Geminids are made up of dust from 3200 Phaethon, which is either an asteroid or an extinct comet. When Earth passes through the trails of dust left by 3200 Phaethon, the dust burns up in the earth’s atmosphere and creates the Geminid meteor shower.
The meteor shower is expected to be at its peak around 2 a.m. Monday, according to NASA. Around that time, skywatchers can expect to see up to 60 meteors per hour, or about one meteor every minute.
NASA says the meteor rate this year is expected to be higher than normal because the peak of the shower overlaps with a nearly new moon. That means darker skies and no moonlight — the best conditions for viewing meteors.
