Geminid meteor shower to streak across N.J. skies

The only things that you need to watch the Geminid meteor shower, the annual display in the December sky, are warm clothes. Carlton Pryor, a professor at Rutgers University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy said, "They’re actually one of the better meteor showers of the year – except it’s not always pleasant to be outside.” 

The Geminid meteor shower is produced by a rocky asteroid and partially breaks off with each near-miss of the sun in its orbit, sending debris toward the Earth, Pryor said. The little bits of sand and space dust hit the Earth’s atmosphere, causing streaks in the sky viewable by the naked eye, he added.

The best way to view the meteor shower is to find the darkest sky possible, preferably in a rural area, find a comfortable spot with the best vantage point of the northern sky, and glance straight up, Pryor said. The peak time will be midnight to 2 a.m. Saturday night into Sunday morning.

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