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The Geminid meteor shower—considered by many to be the most active annual sky show—is going to be especially spectacular this year, astronomers predict. The show gets its name from the constellation Gemini, because the meteors appear to stream from near the constellation's bright star Castor. Unlike last year, the Geminids will be falling against a dark, moonless night. The last time the sky was this dark during the shower was in 1996, when observers saw up to 110 meteors an hour. Experts say the rate will be at least that high this year, with peak viewing on December 13 and...

Geminid meteors seen striking the Moon 17:13 05 January 2007 NewScientist.com news service Kelly Young Two small NASA telescopes with their lenses trained on the Moon spied five, and possibly six, Geminid meteoroids striking the lunar surface early on the morning of 14 December. The observations will help NASA design safe shelters for its future Moon base. On Earth, most meteors burn up as they crash through the atmosphere. The Moon's atmosphere is negligible, however, so the largest of the space rocks crash into its surface with the force of 8-tonne bombs. "We hope to learn how often big rocks...

A meteor shower that had some startled motorists calling police is expected to continue over the next few days. Saturday night's light show was part of the Geminids meteor shower, News4 reported. Montgomery and Fairfax county police, along with Dulles Airport and the space agency, NASA, received calls about the spectacle.

Modest Geminid Meteor Shower this WeekendBy Joe RaoSPACE.com's Night Sky Columnistposted: 07:00 am ET12 December 2003 The typically reliable Geminid meteor shower will peak this weekend. There will be some windows of opportunity for good viewing, but unfortunately much of the show will be seriously hindered by moonlight. A bright gibbous Moon will have already come over the east-northeast horizon by 10 p.m. on Saturday evening, Dec. 13 for most locations and will light up the sky through the rest of the overnight hours. This moonlight will overpower many of the shooting stars associated with one of the best...