Geminids meteor shower expected to peak Wednesday night

The annual Geminids meteor shower will peak late Wednesday into early Thursday morning, providing people around the globe with the opportunity to view what is often deemed one of the most exciting meteor showers to grace the night’s sky.

The Geminids are unique — while most meteors come from comets, the Geminids come from an asteroid that orbits the sun.

Bill Cooke, the lead for the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, emphasized the beauty of the Geminids.

“Most meteors appear to be colorless or white, however the Geminids appear with a greenish hue. They’re pretty meteors!” he said.

The color depends on the chemical makeup of the meteors, and green generally comes from oxygen, magnesium and nickel, NASA said.

The event comes each year around late November through mid-December, but this year, the shower is expected to be even more spectacular than usual. It comes just after the new moon, when the moon is in a waning period and is therefore not so bright.

The dark sky should provide the perfect conditions for anyone around the world to see the meteor shower. They are visible all over the sky, from about 9 or 10 p.m. until dawn.

To watch the shower, experts recommend getting as far away from city lights as possible — going somewhere rural is best — and bundle up for the cold weather. Then, lie down for about 30 minutes, and wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. The meteors should appear.

About 60 to 120 meteors per hour are expected during the shower’s peak, but experts warn not to be concerned if they don’t appear at first. There might be stretches of time without any, followed by several in a row.