DES MOINES, Iowa — The Geminids meteor shower is expected to begin this weekend and will continue all the way up to the week of Christmas.
One of the best times to see it will be the night of Dec. 13. More than 50 meteors an hour will be visible to the naked eye. You’ll want to have your back to the moon and face east to see the meteors in the sky and avoid pollution.
The Geminids are considered one of the best meteor showers every year because the individual meteors are bright, and they come fast and furious: This year, there will be more than one per minute, reaching 100 meteors per hour. Under light-polluted skies, fewer meteors will be visible.
The Geminids meteor shower is nearly 200 years old, according to known records — the first recorded observation was in 1833 from a riverboat on the Mississippi River — and is still going strong. In fact, it’s growing stronger.
