Phantom Maelstrom

The final major meteor shower of every year is always the December Geminid meteor shower, which is expected to peak at the nights of December 13 (December 14 here on the Philippines). According to Kim Atienza of ABS-CBN News Network, we would be expecting the show to display starting at around 9:00pm.

However, according to EarthSky.org, 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, thus not providing optimum conditions for watching the Geminids. Anyway, you should not loss hope of catching a sight. But, of course, expect the meteors to streak along in the bright moonlight. NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke predicted that people might see as many as 40 meteors per hour, even in moonlight, at the Geminids peak. Unlike many meteor showers, you can start watching the Geminids by 9 or 10 p.m. local time. The peak might be around 2 a.m. local time on these nights, because that's when the shower's radiant point is highest in the sky as seen around the world.