Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - It's time for the December sky show.
The annual Geminids (JEM'-i-nids) meteor shower _ the most intense of the year _ will peak Friday night. But the best viewing may be early Saturday, once the moon sets. Between 100 and 120 meteors are expected every hour at peak time. But scientists say the bright moon will interfere and reduce the number of visible meteors by half. That's why the best shot for viewing will be closer to dawn on Saturday.
The Geminids come from a small asteroid named 3200 Phaethon, which passes quite close to the sun. Its trail of dust and debris is what makes up the Geminids. Earth passes through this stream of debris every December.
The meteor shower extends from Thursday through Monday.
___
Online:
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/geminids_2013.html
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
