Geminid Meteor Shower To Hit Peak Overnight

What promises to be the best meteor shower of the year will hit its peak just in time for the holidays.

The Geminid meteor shower, an annual mid-December rain of meteors that will reach its height late Wednesday and early Thursday.   NASA says skywatchers with good weather and clear skies could see up to 120 meteors an hour during the meteor shower's peak.

The Geminids are active every December, when Earth passes through a massive trail of dusty debris shed by a weird, rocky object named 3200 Phaethon.  The dust and grit burn up when they run into Earth's atmosphere in a flurry of "shooting stars."

The agency says the best time to watch is from midnight to 4 a.m. December 14th.