Annual Geminid meteor shower about to peak

Dozens of meteors an hour will be visible tonight when the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak.

Geminids, forming one of the most reliable of all the annual meteor showers, are generally bright and long-lasting, and they sometimes leave trails that linger in the sky.

They're also known for their colors, said Michelle Minitti, the assistant director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University. Some are yellow and a few are tinged blue, red or green.

Observers far from city lights might see up to 160 meteors an hour near the shower's peak, expected around 4 a.m. Tuesday. Even in central Phoenix, observers might see 30 or so an hour.

Meteors may be seen anytime after sunset; more can be seen after midnight.

"(Watching meteors) you really get a feeling for your place in the solar system," Minitti said. "You're on this body going around the sun, and you're flying through the leftover debris from another body that's going around the sun."

"Living in town, we don't notice the stars much anymore," said Mike George, planetarium director at the Arizona Science Center. Meteor showers "are a great way to reconnect with the universe. And it's a great way for parents to go out with their kids and talk about the stars."

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