Natural History Wanderings

The 2013 Geminids  Meteor Shower  are from 12/4 to 12/17 and will peak 12/13 to 12/14. However there will a bright moon that will make this a poor year to view the Geminids. The Geminid Meteor Shower is named for the constellation Gemini from where the meteors seem to emerge from in the sky. The Geminids do not come from a comet like most meteor showers but rather the asteroid the 3200 Phaethon . When there is less moonlight the Geminids are usually considered to be one of the best spectacular meteor showers of the year, with the possibility of sighting around 120 meteors per hour at its peak. The best time to view the Geminids is between 9 p.m. and before dusk.