Geminid Meteor Shower 2013 Peaks On December 13 And 14 - PAGASA

The annual Geminid meteor shower will reach its peak on December 13 and 14, 2013, according to the the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Geminid Meteor Shower 2013

PAGASA said an average rate of forty (40) meteors per hour can be observed under a dark and cloudless sky just after midnight.

The Geminid meteor shower can be seen initially in the eastern sky, then overhead, and in the western sky. The meteors from this shower are slow moving.

Many gazers say the display is intensifying each year and recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 2am to 3am local time.

Unlike other meteors, Geminid meteors do not originate from an asteroid, they are pieces of debris from an extinct comet called 3200 Phaethon. Meteors from this shower are very rocky and gritty and slightly easier to see compared to the other showers, PAGASA said.