Geminid meteor shower streaks the early morning sky
The Geminid meteor shower sprinkles the night sky with shooting stars every December and last night spectators from around the globe enjoyed the peak of this cosmic light show. The name Geminid stems from its close proximity to the Gemini constellation and the shower is believed to be the result of debris from the asteroid-like object 3200 Phaethon.
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- A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over the village of Pesevici, near Zenica, 80 km (49 miles) from the capital Sarajevo, December 14, 2012. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
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- A Geminid meteor streaks are seen above the Judean desert near near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi early December 14, 2012. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Geminid meteor streaks are seen above the Judean desert near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi early December 14, 2012. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Israelis enjoy a a hot water spring on the shore of the Dead Sea near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi as they watch the sky looking for Geminid meteors streaks above the Judean desert early December 14, 2012. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Israelis float in a hot water spring on the shore of the Dead Sea near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi as they watch the sky looking for Geminid meteors streaks above the Judean desert early December 14, 2012. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over the village of Pesevici, near Zenica, 80 km (49 miles) from the capital Sarajevo, December 14, 2012. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
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- This general view shows the Geminids meteor shower from the Prudencio Llach observatory in San Juan Talpa, 40 kms south of San Salvador on December 13, 2012. (Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A general view of the Geminid meteor shower in the National Park of El Teide on the Spanish canary island of Tenerife on December 13, 2012. (Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A general view of the Geminid meteor shower in the National Park of El Teide on the Spanish canary island of Tenerife on December 13, 2012. (Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A general view of the Geminid meteor shower in the National Park of El Teide on the Spanish canary island of Tenerife on December 13, 2012. (Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images)
Meteor showers peaking Thursday, Friday nights
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun
5:02 p.m. EST, December 13, 2012
Readers in rural areas have an opportunity to see hundreds of meteors streaking across the sky Thursday and Friday nights, thanks to the annual Geminid shower as well as a potential second shower.
The Geminids, which appear to emanate from the constellation Gemini, peak in the wee hours of Friday morning but have already been providing a show around the world the past couple of nights. They could appear at a rate of 120 per hour in rural areas, according to NASA.
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