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Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

A stunning celestial display of shooting stars will light up northern hemisphere skies tonight - Monday 13 December. So, why not wrap up, go out, and look up?

Bill Cooke, lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, said: "Rich in green-coloured fireballs, the Geminids are the only shower I will brave cold December nights to see."


Meteors are pieces of debris that burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 70km per second, causing streaks of light in the sky. Geminids are a popular show for star gazers as they are known for being very bright, fast and often multi-coloured.


The shower can produce more than 100 meteors an hour at its peak, although people may not be able to see this many due to light pollution. It is one of the few showers not to originate from a comet, either, as the source of the shooting stars is a stream of debris left behind by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.


People will be able to see the display with their eyes, without the need for binoculars or a telescope.

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