To all Sky Gazers out there. We all can agree that Comet ISON’s final frontier came as a disappointment when it simply dissolved while passing around the Sun. However, this doesn’t close the book on this year’s galactic events.
We’re gearing up for the peak of this year’s annual Geminid meteor shower on the night of 13th and 14th of December. The Geminids will radiate from the constellation Gemini, which promises a peak rate between 100-120 meteors per hour between 1am and 2am. However, a fairly bright moon will reduce the rate by half, except between moonset on the 14th at 4am and dawn. From the common courtesy of the astronomy club out of Accuweather is a Star Map of the sky where the shower will appear. Click on it to enlarge the map.
The Geminids are unusual in that they are believed to be bits of an asteroid, rather than a comet as is the case with most meteor showers we see on an annual basis.
At this time, the skies may get a bit gray by Friday night as another snowmaker grazes our southern hometowns. If not that night, count on a few come Saturday night.