Look Up for Must See Intense Meteor Shower in New York

Look up for one of the most intense meteor showers of the year over New York.

The Geminid meteors are a must-see as they light up the sky every winter.

Meteor showers are produced when Earth crosses debris fields from comets as we orbit the sun. Gary Boyle, The Backyard Astronomer says this is why various showers occur at the same time each year.

But the Geminid meteors – which peak each year in December, are different. It's not a fragile, icy comet. Instead, it’s a more substantial, rocky asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.

Scientists discovered the Geminid meteors are actually the result of a violent event on asteroid Phaethon thanks to the Parker Solar Probe.

Geminid Peak

The annual Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of December 13 into the morning of December 14. Boyle says it'll produce up to 120 meteors per hour with some bright fireballs.

Earth will encounter tiny sand-sized particles from the rocky asteroid with some gravel size pieces producing bright dramatic fireballs that will light up the sky as well as the ground.

The meteors will harmlessly vaporize miles above the ground slower than the annual Perseids in August, giving you more time to see the sky light up.

A few meteors can be seen starting at about 7 PM when the constellation is low in the northeast. Boyle says greater numbers will be seen as the constellation rises throughout the night.

The moon will not interfere this year. This is a must-see event.

It takes your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to darkness, so you'll need to find a dark spot about 30 minutes before the showers begin.

Mother Nature may not cooperate. The forecast is calling for snow and cloudy skis in Central New York. But that may change between now (December 6) and when the Geminid shower peaks on December 13.