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Geminid meteor shower Wednesday night will be awesome viewing

We usually can't see it because of our December weather, but it will be a clear sky on Wednesday night.
A photographer prepares to take pictures of the annual Geminid meteor shower, December 12, 2015. (MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images)

Get ready for a fantastic astronomical show!

The Geminid (GEM-in-ned) Meteor Shower, known to be the best meteor shower of the year, produces up to 120 meteors per hour at its peak. The show runs annually between December 4-17 but peaks Wednesday night into early Thursday morning, December 13-14.

This year will be extra special because we will be able to see it. Typical rainy weather in December usually limits our ability to see these kinds of events. The current forecast calls for a mostly cloudless sky Wednesday night allowing us to see the show. Also, the moon will be at a crescent phase, limiting light pollution.

This meteor shower is produced by dust and debris left behind a large asteroid called 3200 Phaetheon.

For your best chance to see it, be outdoors away from city lights between midnight and just before dawn. Meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini (above Orion’s Belt) but can show up anywhere in the night sky.

If you check the night sky just before bed Wednesday night, or just before heading off to work Thursday morning, you have a great chance to see a bunch of meteors!

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