This photo taken late Dec. 14, 2018, with a long time exposure shows a meteor streaking through the night sky over Myanmar during the Geminids meteor shower seen from Wundwin township near Mandalay city. Ye Aung Thu/AFP via Getty Images
Turn your attention skyward Saturday evening and you should be able to catch the peak of the annual Geminids meteor shower.
The yellow dancing streaks light up the night sky every December with meteors zipping through the heavens at a rate of about 120 an hour, according to NASA.
Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere will have the best view, but the meteor shower will be visible in the Southern Hemisphere as well.
Most meteor showers are debris left behind by comets — large, tailed bodies of ice and dust. The Geminids, however, originate from Asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a relatively small (about 3.17 miles across) object that scientists are still trying to understand.
Asteroids are rocky, metallic masses typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, while comets are mostly ice. NASA says Phaethon may be a “dead comet” or a new class of object called a “rock comet.”
If you’re skywatching on Saturday, lie flat on your back outside with your feet facing south. After about 30 minutes in the dark your eyes will adapt and you should be able to see Geminid meteors intermittently from evening until dawn.
