Geminids Meteor Shower May Have Company

Earth may be passing through two meteor showers on Thursday night; one old, one new.

It's been a disappointing fall for meteor watchers. October's Orionids made a more modest showing than many observers hoped, and November's Leonids were even harder to spot. If you spent any significant amount of time in your yard, neck craned towards the sky in the hopes of seeing those meteor showers, redemption may be on its way later this week. The final meteor shower of the year is the Geminids, expected to peak on the night of Dec. 13 into Dec. 14, and no less an authority than Astronomy Magazine says it should be the best display of the year. Rates of up to an astonishing 120 meteors per hour ― or about two every minute ― mean that even if other recent meteor showers have left you unimpressed, the Geminids are worth a look. A …

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