Get ready for more night-sky fireworks, the Geminid Meteor shower peaks tomorrow night and Wednesday night (December 13 and 14, 2011).

From the EarthSky website:

"The peak nights for the Geminids will be December 13 and 14. The moon will be in a waning gibbous phase in 2011 during the shower’s peak. That means the moon will rise in mid-evening and shine all the way until daybreak. So 2011 does not provide optimum conditions for watching the Geminids, the year’s grand finale for the major meteor showers.

But you should watch anyway if – like many people – you enjoy catching sight of just a few meteors streaking along in bright moonlight. Unlike many meteor showers, you can usually start watching the Geminids by 9 or 10 p.m. On a dark, moonless night, the Geminid meteor shower often produces 50 or more meteors per hour. You’ll see fewer this year, because of the moon. The best viewing of these often bright, medium-speed meteors should be after midnight on the mornings of December 14 and 15, but the bright moon will decrease the number of Geminid meteors you’ll see in 2011."

As a matter of fact, when I was out looking at the lunar eclipse the other night I saw a meteor go streaking by, so it could have been part of the geminids.

"Tips for watching meteors

Most important: a dark sky. Here’s the first thing – the main thing – you need to know to become as proficient as the experts at watching meteors. That is, to watch meteors, you need a dark sky.

Know your dates and times. You also need to be looking on the right date, at the right time of night. Meteor showers occur over a range of dates, because they stem from Earth’s own movement through space. As we orbit the sun, we cross “meteor streams.” These streams of icy particles in space come from comets moving in orbit around the sun. Comets are fragile icy bodies that litter their orbits with debris. When this cometary debris enters our atmosphere, it vaporizes due to friction with the air. If moonlight or city lights don’t obscure the view, we on Earth see the falling, vaporizing particles as meteors.

What to bring. You can comfortably watch meteors from many places, assuming you have a dark sky: your back yard or deck, the hood of your car, the side of a road. If you want to bring along equipment to make yourself more comfortable, consider a blanket or reclining lawn chair, a thermos with a hot drink, binoculars for gazing along the pathway of the summer Milky Way. Be sure to dress warmly enough. Even the summer nights can be chilly, especially in the hours before dawn when the most meteors should be flying.

Are the predictions reliable? Although astronomers have tried to publish exact predictions in recent years, meteor showers remain notoriously unpredictable. Your best bet is to go outside at the times we suggest, and plan to spend at least an hour reclining comfortably while looking up at the sky.

In 2011, the moon gets in the way of the April Lyrids, August Perseids, October Draconids, October Orionids, November North Taurids, November Leonids, and December Geminids. Moon-free nights greet the January Quadrantids, May Eta Aquarids, and July Delta Aquarids. Some moon-free viewing time is in store for the November South Taurids. Our almanac page provides links for access to the moonrise and moonset times in your sky."

I have to say I have never had much luck seeing these meteor showers. I talked about this in an earlier post: Meteor Showers. I don't think I looked in the right direction, and probably went out there too early. It's hard to get excited about getting up at midnight to sit on a lawn chair in the cold pre-dawn hours staring at the sky.