The annual Geminid meteor shower will begin lighting up the sky with a spectacular show of streams of cosmic debris at high speed starting December 7 until December 17, according to the state weather bureau’s astronomical diary.
The Geminids, which will be best viewed at midnight to dawn, will peak the night of December 13 until the morning hours of December 14, said PAGASA. Compared to other meteor showers, the Geminids do not originate from comets as it came from the asteroid 3200 Phaeton.
PAGASA said the constellation of Gemini, the Twin, will be easy to spot due to Castor and Pollux, its two bright stars which are just to the left of the Orion and Auriga constellations.
Meteors from this shower are very rocky and gritty and slightly easier to see compared to the other showers. An average of 40 or more meteors can be seen per hour under a dark and cloudless sky, said PAGASA.
“Under a dark and cloudless sky and just after midnight of its peak activity, meteors or “falling stars” can be seen at an average rate of forty (40) or more meteors per hour,” PAGASA’s astronomical diary claimed.
