Those bright streaks of light in the sky? Meteor showers peak this month

Christmas decorations won’t be the only displays lighting up the night sky this month.

Two meteor showers will peak over the next couple of weeks. The first, the Geminids, reaches its peak late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

“The Geminids are usually the strongest meteor shower of the year and meteor enthusiasts are certain to circle December 13 and 14 on their calendars,” according to the American Meteor Society. “The Geminids are often bright and intensely colored.”

There can be up to 120 meteors per hour during the Geminids event, according to NASA.

“It’s usually one of the best opportunities for kids who don’t stay up late, because it gets going around 9 or 10 p.m. local time,” according to a post on NASA’s website.

However, bright light from a full moon around the same time will steal the show from the Geminids this year.

“A full moon will outshine the shower in 2016,” NASA said.

December is the third month in a row to feature something called a supermoon, when the moon is full as it makes its closest pass to Earth along its elliptical orbit.

But shooting stars from the meteor shower will still be visible, said Harold Henderson, director of the Lake Afton Public Observatory near Goddard.

“It’s not a great year this time around because (of) the moon,” he said. “But it’s not going to be a total, complete and total washout. … They tend to be fairly bright.

“It’s just not going to be as good as it could be,” Henderson said.

Another shower, the Ursids, peaks about a week later, on Dec. 21 and 22. The American Meteor Society said this shower is somewhat neglected because it peaks close to Christmas and features fewer meteors than the Geminids.

“Observers will normally see five to 10 Ursids per hour during the late morning hours,” according to the society.

Henderson called the Ursids a bright meteor shower that won’t have to contend with the moon as much as the Geminids will.

“It’s a dependable performer, pretty good from one year to the next,” Henderson said.

Both meteor showers will peak during weekday nights when the observatory is closed. But Henderson said you can still go out to the grounds of the observatory at 25000 W. 39th St. South for some dark sky to watch the showers.

This story was originally published December 11, 2016 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Those bright streaks of light in the sky? Meteor showers peak this month."