Heads up! Geminid meteor shower peaks this week
Here are some tips to enjoy the show
Nicole Mortillaro · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2018 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago
https://i.cbc.ca/1.4940108.1544568270!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/geminids-meteor-shower.jpg
This layered image shows dozens of Geminid meteors captured by a photographer over the course of one night in Arizona. (Malcolm Park)
The most active meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, is set to reach its peak of activity this week.
Meteors — grains of debris that burn up in our atmosphere — can be spotted on any given night, but almost once a month, Earth plows through a collection of dust and particles left over from a passing comet or asteroid, causing what's known as a meteor shower. When this happens, we can see more meteors than on average night.
The Geminid meteor shower occurs as Earth moves through the debris shed from asteroid 3200 Phaethon as it orbits the sun.
While the Perseid meteor shower in August is likely the most popular of the year — thanks to the warmer temperatures and reduced chance of cloud cover — the Geminid meteor shower produces more "shooting stars" per hour in a dark-sky location — 120 compared to about 100 for the Perseids.
More:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/geminid-meteor-shower-1.4939704?cmp=rss