A winter shower of shooting stars

Less than two weeks before Christmas, the strong Geminid meteor shower will reach its peak, with up to 100 meteors per hour expected in the early hours of 14 December. If the weather plays ball, observers will experience a dark sky late in the evening after the waxing crescent Moon sets below the horizon - making it easier to witness the fainter streaks.

The show lasts over a few weeks from 4 to 17 December as the Earth ploughs through a cloud of debris left over from the rock comet 3200 Phaethon. Most meteor showers originate from crumbling comets; however 3200 Phaethon is a 5km wide asteroid moving in a very elliptical orbit around the Sun. As it passes close to the Sun its surface bakes at a temperature of 750C, resulting in thermal fracturing in the rock.