Community Corner

Tonight's Your Best Chance To Wish On A Shooting Star

The Geminid Meteor shower peaks Friday night between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. but the best time to watch may be early Saturday morning after the moon has set.

Want to make a wish? The best chance to see a shooting star is tonight when the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak.

The meteors originating from the constellation of Gemini started their annual show a few nights ago but they should be at their peak on December 13. If you're standing somewhere clear and dark, near the beach perhaps and away from streetlights, look up between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. and you could see about 120 meteors per hour, according to NASA's Asteroid Watch blog. 

Stargazers will have to contend with a moon that is nearly full, which will make the shooting stars a little harder to see. Still, the viewing will be better than it was during the Leonid meteor show in November, when the moon was actually full. If you're really keen to see the most meteors, the best time to watch will be after the moon has set early Saturday morning. 

If you're not in a position to see the sky clearly, you will be able to see them virtually as the Slooh space camera will be streaming a live broadcast of the meteor shower on Friday night.


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