One of the two strongest, most dependable annual meteor showers – the Geminids – is coming up in December. (The other is the Perseids in mid-August.) The best viewing date is expected to be after midnight on Friday, Dec. 14, when about 50 meteors per hour will dress up the sky. About 2 a.m. is usually the best time to look for them, preferably in an area away from city lights and with a good view of most of the sky. There will be no moon after 9:30 p.m., so the sky should be dark. For the best view, scan the sky rather than staring at one particular spot.

What to bring?

• A lounge chair or blanket
• Water and munchies
• A sweater or jacket to keep warm – the wee hours of a morning in December are likely to be chilly, even in Texas
• Bug spray if you tend to get bitten
• Binoculars if you wish. They are not really useful for observing meteors but may be good for viewing other astronomical objects (Mars, the moon, Andromeda Galaxy, Pleiades)
• Your patience, sharp eyes and alert attitude

What is a meteor shower?

• A meteor is a meteoroid, or piece of space debris, that hits Earth’s atmosphere and burns up. The debris rips into the atmosphere at speeds close to 37 miles per second, creating a glowing trail of ionized air. This bright trail is what you see in the sky, not the meteoroid itself. It’s like seeing a jet trail behind a distant jet.
• A meteor shower comes from bits of dirt, sand and pebbles that were shed from a comet as it flew past the sun. The debris remains in orbit around the sun and, when the Earth in its orbit passes through this path of debris, a number of pieces can be seen burning up in our atmosphere. Since the particles remain in known orbits, the meteor showers occur every year at about the same time.

What else should I know?

• Sometimes you may see a lot of meteors, sometimes not as many. The space debris in the comet’s orbit tends to clump, so some years are better than others.
• The meteors radiate from the constellation for which the shower is named, but they can be seen anywhere in the sky. After midnight is best because that is when the constellations are highest in the sky.

Visit Stardate Online for more about meteor showers.

While your sitting out enjoying the meteor shower, bring your telescope and check out a few other astronomical objects in the sky.

Set your alarm for 2 a.m. - this is the best time to look for meteors, and dress warm for the chilly December air.