Meteor shows occur when the Earth's orbit passes through the debris trail from a comet or asteroid. For this reason, they occur on or about the same day each year.
The are usually named for the star constellation closest to the part of the sky where most can be seen. This year's Geminids should be better than most, because we're currently close to the New Moon phase.
Just like with fireworks, the chemical composition of meteors determines the color. Iron causes yellow, sodium causes orange, magnesium causes blue, and calcium causes purple. The Geminids have more larger pieces of debris, (perhaps the size of a pea, as opposed to that of a grain of rice), which means they are more likely to be brighter, as they burn up in the atmosphere.
More information:
If skies are clear, the best viewing time should be between midnight Wednesday and 2 AM on Thursday morning.
The are usually named for the star constellation closest to the part of the sky where most can be seen. This year's Geminids should be better than most, because we're currently close to the New Moon phase.
Just like with fireworks, the chemical composition of meteors determines the color. Iron causes yellow, sodium causes orange, magnesium causes blue, and calcium causes purple. The Geminids have more larger pieces of debris, (perhaps the size of a pea, as opposed to that of a grain of rice), which means they are more likely to be brighter, as they burn up in the atmosphere.
More information:
If skies are clear, the best viewing time should be between midnight Wednesday and 2 AM on Thursday morning.
