Meteor Showers

Karen Kaplan writes about approaching meteor showers between sunset thursday night and sunrise friday morning in an article titled, "Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight; Comet Wirtanen May Add Sparks" published on December 13, 2012 in the Los Angeles Times. The Geminid meteor showers have become an annual show with the bright, streaking remnants of the asteroid Phaethon flying around the sky. It receives its name from the constellation Gemini because most of the flying objects seem to fall near one of its stars. The Geminid meteor showers are the first to be traced a to an actual asteroid, unlike others which are mostly related to comets. This would truly be a spectacular event to witness, unfortunately for most southern Californians it will be a difficult one to see because of the large overcast tonight. Sadly, there is also school tomorrow, therefore even if the show is visible, students such as myself will be sleeping. It is a lose-lose situation, however it will be a marvelous scene for those who have the opportunity to see it. The farther they are from the city lights the better their view of the show will be.