Articles I have read the last few days indicate this years Geminid shower should be a good one. Expect around 120 meteors an hour. The shower should peak around 2:00 am on the 14th. The Geminid’s are the result of the Earth passing through the debris left behind by a comet/asteroid hybrid named 3200 Phaethon which orbits the Sun about every 550 days. On December 16 it will be passing near Earth about 32 times farther from us than the Moon. While this should not effect this years shower, it may make next years shower even more spectacular.
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Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois
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