While the vast majority of meteor showers come from comets, the Geminids originate from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. It gets closer to the Sun than any other named asteroid, closer than half the distance of Mercury’s orbit, which is why astronomers named it after Phaethon, the son of the Sun god Helios.

As the night grows long and the winter solstice approaches, there’s a host of astronomical events to watch out for, including a particularly striking meteor shower.

The Geminids are expected to run from Dec. 7-17, with a peak on the nights of Dec. 13 and 14 when 120 to 150 shooting stars are expected each hour. The meteors are bright, fast and white, but sometimes they are greenish because they contain magnesium and nickel which turn green when they burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Skywatchers will have a lot to look at in the night skies over Alabama in December. A super moon, a meteor shower and a comet are just a few. Coming up first is a super moon on Dec. 4 (Thursday).

The last big meteor shower of the year peaks this month and should be visible over Ontario. The Geminids meteor shower, which peaks during mid-December each year, is considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers,

Whilst many people would have been looking up at the sky to try and spot the Leonids meteor shower, a smaller wonder was happening back down on Earth.

The Ensemble Company, the repertory theatre company in residence at Imagine Performing Arts Center, will conclude its seventh season with Steve Martin’s gawky comedy, Meteor Shower.

Bright stars and a lone bright planet are visible at dusk as December begins. The Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb is well up in the west and getting lower as the month progresses; Saturn is halfway up in the southeast to south-southeast,