The month of December is the time for the Geminid meteor shower to grace the night skies. The sky event is anticipated to be an amazing view for the spectators especially during its peak, which is scheduled to occur on Monday night, Dec. 14.

National Geographic reports that the annual Geminid meteor shower officially kicked off last Dec. 5, Saturday, with only a couple of meteors visible at night. The number of visible meteors will increase during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower.

Spectators who will head out to see the Geminid meteor shower display on Dec. 12 and 13 may observe an excess of faint meteors zooming through. International Meteor Organization (IMO) explains that the mass-sorting of debris with the Geminid stream will result to loads of fainter, telescopic meteors approximately one day before the meteor shower peak.

According to Universe Today, observers can experience a maximum of 120 meteors visible per hour under ideal conditions like weather and location. The Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak at approximately 18:00 UT (1 p.m. EST, 10 a.m. PST) on Dec. 14, which makes two nights of about equal activity starting on Sunday night, Dec. 13-14, and Monday night Dec. 14-15.

To best view the Geminid meteor shower peak, viewers are recommended to find a location far from the bright city lights. “You don't need any equipment except a chair. Just grab some friends, bundle up, and watch the show,” Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich suggested.

Meanwhile, RIT University News confirms that the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Observatory will be open to the public, weather permitting, on Dec. 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. Michael Richmond, the director of the observatory and a professor in RIT’s School of Physics and Astronomy has declared that the visitors can witness 10 to 20 meteors per hour provided that the conditions are good.

Richmond also suggests that the visitors should dress warmly because they will be observing the sky display outside. To find out if there are weather-related cancelations at the RIT Observatory, Richmond recommends the visitors to check the observatory’s website www.rit.edu/cos/observatory.

“Our telescopes can’t see through thick clouds or snow,” Richmond explained.

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