CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Geminid meteor shower is one of the best -- if not the best -- meteor shower of the year. NASA astronomers consider it one of the "best and most reliable."
The meteor shower is called the Geminids because it radiates through the constellation Gemini.
NOTE: Meteor showers are named after the constellation they radiate from. But most of those meteors can be seen all across the sky.
Gemini is easy to find because it is just above Orion. So look for Orion's belt.
Every December, the earth passes through a path of dust and debris left behind from the asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. This asteroid is 3 miles wide and orbits Earth every 523 days.
The December Meteor Shower is getting stronger too. Jupiter's gravity has pushed the debris closer to earth amplifying the show. The meteor shower was first reported to only have 10-20 meteors per hour back in the 1800s but now an hourly 120 meteors can be seen at the peak under optimal viewing conditions.
FACT: Geminid meteoroids hit earth’s atmosphere traveling 78,000 mph which is actually slow compared to other meteor showers.
The Geminids are usually active every year from Dec. 4 to Dec. 17 and peak around Dec. 14. This year (2021) it will peak the night of the 13th into the morning of the 14th.
The show starts as early as 10 p.m. and ends as late as at sunrise, but the typical best peak is around 2 a.m. However, the moon does not set until 3:10 a.m. this year, so it looks like 3 a.m. to sunrise is the best window for the 2021 Geminids.
Contact Chris Mulcahy at cmulcahy@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.