Geminid Meteor Shower Dec. 2013 - UK, Australia, Canada Peak Times & Live Streaming
Get ready world because tonight we will experience the best spectacle our eyes can see. Better than a Broadway show, and more shocking than Miley's VMA performance, coming to you from the irreplaceable universe is the Geminid meteor shower of 2013!
The meteors actually began their movements in the early morning of Dec. 12 and will continue on until Dec. 16. However, tonight Dec. 13, through the early hours of Dec. 14, is the night to see the meteors at its peak! The best times to watch will be 1-2 a.m local time. NASA astronomers Bill Cooke, Daniell Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw will host a live web chat on Dec. 13 from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET.
"The Geminids are my favorite because they defy explanation," says Cooke. "Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids are by far the most massive. When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of 5 to 500," he added. Stargazers will be able to see over 100 meteors per hour beautifully decorating the sky. If you aren't planning on going out to watch the light show you can watch from home through tonight's live stream videos.
But this is an event for the whole world to see. In the United Kingdom you can see Geminid at its peak on Dec. 13 to the 14 at a rate of 40-60 per hour from 9:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and many other cities in Europe will be able to experience the amazing event from places with little or no light pollution. Canada and North America have the best view at Geminid's peak hours according to astronomers. Australia, located south of it all, won't have our view but they will still be able to see the meteor light show. They can also tune in to the live stream where NASA teams up with Slooh, the online sky watching website. Slooh and NASA will be broadcasting the entire night; can you imagine all the things Great-Grandpa Max missed without live streaming technology?
This is going to be the most intense meteor shower of the year. The shooting fireballs will be visible from anywhere, so be sure to find a cozy spot at a park or field where there aren't too many lights. The Geminids are a unique type of meteor since they come from a rocky object called 3200 Phaethon. Most meteor showers stem from comets, making the Geminids an impossible to miss manifestation. The meteor storms present no danger since the material vaporizes in the upper atmosphere, protecting us from any harm down here on Earth. So gather together and snuggle up to your friends and loved ones and do not miss this gift from the same skies that brought you life and development, The Universe (applause).
Are you watching tonight?