What You Should Know About Seeing 2016’s FINAL Meteor Shower

Bright, bright, baby: The next and last major meteor shower of 2016 is almost here, and you don't want to miss it. You might have seen the intense lights of August's Perseids and October's Draconids this year, but they've got nothing on the Geminids. While some other meteor showers are limited to the Southern Hemisphere and aren't visible, the Geminids are an exception. They appear primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and tend to put on a good show. According to EarthSky, the Geminid meteor shower will peak at 2 a.m. on December 14, and will be visible across the sky. As with other showers, the Geminids are named for the star they radiate from, which, in this case, is Gemini. They are the result of debris breaking off from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, EarthSky reports, which occurs every December when the Earth intersects with the asteroid's course. NASA advises that you start looking up at the sky around 9 or 10 p.m. on the night of December 13, when the shower will start. If you want to see it at its fiercest, when as many as 120 meteors can flash through the air every hour, make it a late night and stay out until 2 a.m.