Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks December 13 Over Indiana

Up to 120 meteors per hour could be visible in Indiana, under ideal conditions. Stargazers in Indiana are preparing for the biggest meteor shower of the year!

Make sure you've got plenty of wishes ready because the annual Geminid Meteor Shower is set to peak above Indiana December 13 & 14th. Here's how to view it:

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I consider myself to be a space nerd; I love anything and everything having to do with the cosmos. It's unfortunate that the most notorious meteor shower of the year happens to occur at the end of it. And during one of the coldest months of the year at that!

With December's Supermoon, the Long Nights Moon, behind us conditions should be favorable during the meteor shower's peak on the night of December 13. That is, if the pesky clouds stay away! According to Space.com,

Geminid meteors will appear to streak away from a patch of sky in the constellation Gemini close to the bright star Castor, which can be found rising above the eastern horizon a few hours after sunset in December, shining to the upper right of the gas giant Jupiter...The waning crescent moon will rise at around 2 a.m. local time on Dec. 14, making it more of a challenge to spot fainter members of the annual shower.

What a way to welcome in the upcoming winter solstice on December 21st! Yes, in only a few short days we will finally be gaining sunlight instead of losing it. Is it true what they say though, do cooler nights really create better conditions for stargazing? As The Weather Channel explains,

Winter’s colder night skies hold less hazy moisture than warm summer skies. This means that there are generally fewer night clouds in winter, leaving the skies crisp and clear.