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[ Watch the Video: What is a Meteor? ] John P. Millis, Ph.D. for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Meteor showers are fascinating events - streaks of light across the darkness of night. While such displays struck fear into our ancestors, they provide wonderful entertainment today. These celestial shows are rather common, with some 50 showers in 2012 alone (though not all of them are observable everywhere on Earth). One of the most brilliant events is the Geminid meteor shower,...

[ Watch the Video: What is a Meteor? ] Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The Geminids meteor shower is expected to be an amazing display of natural fireworks and is expected to start on December 13 and 14, ending the year with a bang. The Taipei Astronomical Museum says that the meteor shower will outshine all other meteor showers that have taken place this year. No moonlight will interfere with the meteor shower either, helping to make the Geminids display 120...

[ Watch the Video ] The 2011 Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of Dec. 13-14, and despite the glare of a nearly-full Moon, it might be a good show. "Observers with clear skies could see as many as 40 Geminids per hour," predicts Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office.  "Our all-sky network of meteor cameras has captured several early Geminid fireballs.  They were so bright, we could see them despite the moonlight." The best time to look is between 10 pm local...

Monday evening and Tuesday morning will provide the peak time to enjoy the 2010 Geminid meteor shower. Astronomy aficionados in most parts of the world will be able to see what the AFP news agency dubs "the best meteor shower of the year" through December 16.To celebrate the celestial event, NASA conducted a special "Up All Night" online event, and will continue to show live audio and video of the Geminids from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama...

On the evening of Dec. 13 and the morning of Dec. 14, skywatchers across the northern hemisphere will be looking up as the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak, in one of the best night sky events of the year. And unlike many astronomical phenomena, meteors are best seen without a telescope (and are perfectly safe to watch). At its peak and in a clear, dark sky up to 100 'shooting stars' or meteors may be visible each hour. Meteors are the result of small particles entering the Earth's...

The Geminid meteor shower, which peaks this year on Dec. 13th and 14th, is the most intense meteor shower of the year. It lasts for days, is rich in fireballs, and can be seen from almost any point on Earth. It's also NASA astronomer Bill Cooke's favorite meteor shower"”but not for any of the reasons listed above."The Geminids are my favorite," he explains, "because they defy explanation."Most meteor showers come from comets, which spew ample meteoroids for a night of 'shooting stars.' The...

Make hot cocoa. Bundle up. Tell your friends. The best meteor shower of 2009 is about to fall over North America on a long, cold December night."It's the Geminid meteor shower," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "and it will peak on Dec. 13th and 14th under ideal viewing conditions."A new Moon will keep skies dark for a display that Cooke and others say could top 140 meteors per hour. According to the International Meteor Organization, maximum...

Many meteor showers tend to disappoint, but the annual Geminid shower is relatively reliable. And this year's version, which peaks tonight, is expected to be a great one. Meteors could start showing up anytime after dark this evening, Dec. 13, low on the eastern horizon. A better display should begin after 10 p.m. or so local time, when the constellation Gemini, from which the meteors emanate, rises higher into the Eastern sky. By 2 a.m. local time Friday, Dec. 14, Gemini is directly...

Mark your calendar: The best meteor shower of 2007 peaks on Friday, December 14th. "It's the Geminid meteor shower," says NASA astronomer Bill Cooke of the Marshall Space Flight Center. "Start watching on Thursday evening, Dec. 13th, around 10 pm local time," he advises. "At first you might not see very many meteors"”but be patient. The show really heats up after midnight and by dawn on Friday, Dec. 14th, there could be dozens of bright meteors per hour streaking...

What could be the best meteor display of the year will reach its peak on the night of Dec.13-14. Here is what astronomers David Levy and Stephen Edberg have written of the annual Geminid Meteor Shower: "If you have not seen a mighty Geminid fireball arcing gracefully across an expanse of sky, then you have not seen a meteor." The Geminids get their name from the constellation of Gemini, the Twins, because the meteors appear to emanate from a spot in the sky near the...