READ MORE: NASA releases close-up pictures of interstellar comet 3I\/Atlas<\/a><\/p>\nSkygazers could see up to 120 meteors per hour under dark skies during the peak Saturday night into Sunday\u2019s predawn hours, according to NASA.<\/p>\n
Meteor showers appear when fast-moving space rocks hit Earth\u2019s atmosphere and burn up, leaving behind fiery tails \u2014 the end of a \u201cshooting star.\u201d Stray meteors are visible from Earth on any given night, but more prominent showers happen annually when the planet passes through crowded streams of cosmic debris.<\/p>\n
How exciting a shower will look from Earth depends on many factors including the amount of debris and the brightness of the moon, which can overshadow the meteors\u2019 glow. The Geminids have a good window for peak viewing before the moon crashes the party after midnight.<\/p>\n
To enjoy the Geminid show, bundle up and venture away from city lights, which can drown out fireballs. The meteor shower will appear over the whole sky, so look to the darkest part or search for the Gemini constellation for which the shower is named.<\/p>\n
Lie in a sleeping bag or lean back in a lawn chair and wait 15 to 20 minutes for your eyes to get used to the darkness. That\u2019s when the meteors will appear as tiny glows streaking across the sky.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other stars are going to be all stationary, so you\u2019ll see this moving across the sky and it\u2019ll leave a little tail behind it,\u201d said Bethany Cobb Kung, an astronomer with George Washington University.<\/p>\n
Stay outside and take in the show for as long as the weather allows. Avoid bright lights from cellphones, which can make it harder for your eyes to adjust to nighttime darkness.<\/p>\n
Most meteor showers come from the leftovers of comets, but the Geminids originate from the sun-orbiting asteroid 3200 Phaethon.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n
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