KXO Radio AM1230 and FM 107.5

The Geminid meteor shower, one of the best meteor shows of the year, peaks this Thursday night, December the 13th. The crescent moon will set over the San Diego County Mountains a little after 8 pm, so we will have dark skies this year.

 

The Geminid meteor shower is known for bright graceful meteors that sweep across the sky in about a second. There should also be some bright fireballs mixed in with a few faint streaks. It's rare, but watch for a meteor that divides before your eyes. The number of meteors with this shower is not large, on the average about one meteor per minute. But you have to be lucky.  You have to be looking in the right part of the sky when the meteor flies by. I believe watching for meteors is like going fishing. You might be lucky and get one right away, or it may take you 15 minutes to see one, or maybe you will not see one at all. However if you are ever lucky enough to see a bright graceful Geminid, you will never forget it. 

 

After 8 pm, first look towards the east. You will see a bright yellow-orange star. Well it's not really a star, it's the bright planet Mars. Mars is now in the constellation of Gemini, which also the radiant, or point in the sky where the meteors will seem to be coming from. It's usually best to lay back and look straight up to see the meteors as they quickly streak by. You may also observe the red lights of a high aircraft or even a dim earth satellite as they both slowly edge through the stars.