A long-exposure image taken Dec. 14, 2018, by Ye Aung Thu/AFP via Getty Images shows a meteor streaking over Wundwin township near Mandalay, Myanmar during the Geminids meteor shower.
Look up Saturday evening to catch the peak of the yearly Geminids display. These bright, fast meteors light up December skies, with NASA estimating rates near 120 meteors per hour at peak viewing under ideal conditions.
Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will generally have the best views, though the shower is visible from many Southern Hemisphere locations as well.
Most meteor showers come from cometary debris, but the Geminids are unusual: their source is asteroid 3200 Phaethon, roughly 3.17 miles across. Scientists think Phaethon may be a defunct comet or a hybrid “rock comet” that sheds dust when heated, producing the stream of particles that creates the shower.
For best viewing: go outside after dark, lie on your back with your feet pointed south, and give your eyes about 30 minutes to fully adjust to the dark. Geminid meteors can appear anytime from evening through dawn, so plan to watch for intermittent streaks across the sky.