Cloudy nights can block your views of the light show. And the bright full moon makes it difficult to observe the meteors by washing out the lights.
A clear night between midnight and dawn is the ideal time to watch the sky. You need to be looking toward the constellation Gemini which is almost directly overhead in December.
The Geminid meteors were first viewed by astronomers in 1862 in England. It varies from most other meteor showers because it isn’t linked to an active comet.
In 1983 NASA scientists discovered that the asteroid 3200 Phaethon is the source of the shooting lights. This makes it the only known meteor shower linked to an asteroid instead of a comet.
The meteors shed by 3200 Phaethon is different than those that come from comets. They are typically rockier and burn slower when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere. This means they are visible longer. And may appear seconds more than the icy meteors that comets drop.
Ursid meteor showers
The Ursid meteor shower is active between Dec. 17-26 and will peak on Dec. 22-23.
