Meteor Shower Peaks Over Bay Area

BAY AREA, CA — Have you spotted a meteor streaking over the Bay Area? The Geminids meteor shower is regarded one of the year’s best, and it peaked this weekend. The meteors fly quickly and will continue for a few days after the peak, so continue scanning the skies whenever you’re out at night.

Even with a full moon, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke says the show is still worth a trip outside to watch. “It won't be a total washout, because the Geminids have a lot of fireballs in them,” Cooke told Space.com.

The Geminids are reliably the most prolific meteor shower of the year, producing up to 120 shooting stars an hour — typically outperforming the summertime favorite, the Perseids.

The first known report of the Geminid meteor shower was in 1833, when it was seen from a riverboat moved slowly on the Mississippi River. It’s grown in intensity over the centuries since as Jupiter’s gravity tugs particles from the source of the shower, the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, closer to the Earth.

The meteor shower radiates from the bright constellation Gemini (the twins). In the Northern Hemisphere, look in the southwestern sky for the constellation Orion — it’s the one with the three stars that make up the hunter’s “belt” — and then look up and to the left to find Gemini, which is high in the southwestern sky.

But don’t look directly at Gemini — you’ll miss some of the amazing tails associated with this wintertime favorite. Instead, look slightly away from the constellation.

You’ll also want to find a dark sky to view the Geminids, and make sure you allow about half an hour for your eyes to adjust. You won’t need binoculars or telescopes.

— Written by Patch editors Beth Dalbey and Bea Karnes