Watch the Geminid meteor shower peak tonight in Huntsville

Geminids meteor shower astronomical events — “Peak Night, Geminid Meteor Shower” by Jeff Sullivan (www.JeffSullivanPhotography.com) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Tonight’s meteor shower is one of the best astronomical events of the year where you can expect to see up to 120 meteors per hour without a telescope. Experts expect that the meteor shower will peak tonight–Thursday, Dec. 14.

The moon will barely be visible during its waxing crescent phase creating optimal viewing conditions for the event. Low temperatures tonight will hover near the mid 30s, so make sure you grab your coat before heading out the door to see this natural light show.

What is the Geminid Meteor Shower?

sky milky way — Photo by Michał Mancewicz on Unsplash

The Geminid meteor shower originates from an asteriod–3200 Phaethon–and not a comet like most other meteor showers.

Though they come from the direction of the constellation Gemini (hence the name, Geminid) the meteors will be visible across the entire sky, not contained to a specific spot. One to two meteors will be visible every minute all across the world where skies are clear.

After the peak on Dec. 14, the Geminids will dwindle in intensity until Dec. 24. Make sure you take the chance to view them tonight.