Geminid Meteor Shower 2012 Peak: When and Where to Watch

The most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, is on its way — with no moon to obscure the show over Bradenton.

The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, and Bradenton residents may be able to see a great show on either side of those dates. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this show. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sitings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at this video of the Geminid meteor shower. You can also look at some spectacular photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports …

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Leonid Meteor Shower 2012: Where to Watch in Bradenton

The Leonid meteor shower will peak over night and on Tuesday morning.

Keep your eyes on the sky during the pre-dawn hours starting  over night and again on Tuesday, Nov. 20, because that's when the famous Leonid meteor shower is expected to peak. These meteors are fast (about 40 miles per second) and can leave trails of smoke, according to Astronomy.com. They will appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion and can vary in color. "Many Leonids are also bright. Usually, the meteors are white or bluish-white, but in recent years some observers reported yellow-pink and copper-colored ones," according to Astronomy.com.  The Leonids shower is so-called because the meteors seem to radiate outward from the constellation Leo. The starting point, called the radiant for obvious reasons, is found in the part …

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Tonight is the Best Opportunity to View Orionids Meteor Showers

Look east toward Orion's belt from midnight until 3 a.m. to get the best views of the meteor showers.