GEMINID

This is one of the best times of the year to view a shooting star.   The Geminids meteor shower is putting on a show right now.   

The Geminids are the trailing tail of an asteroid - these the result of some minor collisions in the eons-long journey it has taken through our galaxy.  Most meteor showers come from comets but not so with the Geminids. 

These little fragments of the asteroid run into Earth's atmosphere and burn to a crisp making quite a spectacular show of it.  We call them shooting stars but, of course, they were never really stars.  Now you know, these are little bits of an asteroid.

They pass by Earth for a month or so each year starting in November.  Today is the prime day for viewing as the most of them are passing by right now.  You can best see them about 2 am from a dark area in a clear sky but you might see one at any time.

A few weeks ago, I saw a shooting star in the early-night sky.  It could have been part of the Geminids shower but I choose to think a special person sent this one to me.  

Good luck to you.