Geminids meteor shower 2009
This weekend the annual Geminids meteor shower reaches its peak, on the night of 13 December and the morning of 14 December.
The Earth will be ploughing through a stream of debris left behind by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, and we see these fragments burn up as they hit the Earth's atmosphere, causing the shooting stars. Some of the fragments can reach the size of big fireballs.
The Geminids shower seems to be intensifying each year, and an average of 100 meteors per hour are expected to radiate from near the bright star Castor. The peak date this year also occurs two days before the new Moon which should make for ideal viewing conditions.
Greg Smye-Rumsby explains how to see the meteors, courtesy of Astronomy Now:
Details of all the major annual meteor showers visible from the UK are available on the NMM website.
With dark nights around the winter solstice, December is an ideal time for stargazing. Why not come to the Royal Observatory for a special observing evening with our astronomers?