The 2010 Geminid meteor shower, peaking the week of December 12-18, should be a good one. Why? The time when the most meteors can be seen should coincide with the time the moon is at the opposite side of the sky and in the process of dipping below the horizon. The less moon, the darker the skies; the darker the sky, the brighter the shooting stars!
The Geminids, created by the embers of a disintegrating asteroid, seem to be blasting out of the constellation Gemini (hence their name) just to the left of Orion, in the southwestern night sky.
Since this time of year Orion and Gemini are seen in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere gets short-changed on this one. The Geminids begin to be seen in early December at the rate of one or two an hour. But things gradually pick up. Scientists point out December 13-14 is not the end of the Geminids, however, and more could be seen on in the next few nights after the peak.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate for you, or you just can’t get to a good viewing spot, you can actually watch this year’s Geminids on your computer! NASA says it will feature live webcams this year of the Geminids. Go to www.nasa.gov on the evening of Dec. 13 to log on.
http://www.bashewa.com/wxmeteor-showers.php?shower=Geminids
http://www.meteorblog.com/2010/12/december-meteor-shower-schedule/
http://jerrygarrett.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/where-amp-when-to-watch-december-2010s-geminids-meteor-shower/
http://www.bashewa.com/showers/geminids.jpg
