There含羞草研究社檚 a 含羞草研究社渕ust-see含羞草研究社� celestial event set to take place next week, that is, if it含羞草研究社檚 even possible to observe it.

The Geminid meteor shower is to produce a consistent 120 meteors per hour in the night sky Dec. 13-14. The Geminids occur every year at the same time, but a key challenge with observing the 含羞草研究社榝alling stars含羞草研究社� is whether or not clouds obstruct the view.

Astronomy educator and Royal Astronomical Society of Canada columnist Gary Boyle explained that meteor showers occur at the same time every year because they are usually produced by a comet that rounds the sun.

含羞草研究社淢aterial is blown off the comet when it comes close to the sun just by the solar radiation,含羞草研究社� Boyle said. 含羞草研究社淓very year when we do our lap around the sun, just like a car goes around a circular racetrack, we encounter this debris.含羞草研究社�

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The Geminids are not caused by a comet, but rather by debris from an 5.8km in diameter asteroid named 3200 Phaethon.

Skipping across the Earth含羞草研究社檚 atmosphere at 36km per second, Boyle said the Geminid meteor shower is particularly good for stargazers because they are 含羞草研究社渟low, graceful, bright meteors.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 something that people will remember for the rest of their lives. Nature always has a way of bringing calm and relaxation to no matter what it is,含羞草研究社� Boyle said.

Boyle said the meteors are called 含羞草研究社渆arth grazers含羞草研究社� because they don含羞草研究社檛 actually enter the atmosphere.

含羞草研究社淭hey just skip along, like you skip a rock on a lake.含羞草研究社�

If the skies are clear, the other competing force to observing the shower is light pollution from cities and the moon. The moon is to be about 77 per cent lit that evening. Still, Boyle said, Canadians should be able to see some of the brighter meteors.

The best time to observe, Boyle said, is at about 12 a.m. on Dec. 14.

aaron.hinks@peacearchnews.com
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