BF2S Forums Best Meteor Shower of 2010 Arrives December 13-14

Like most meteor showers, the Geminids will be at their best after midnight (early on the morning of Dec. 14), when the Earth is heading directly into the meteoroid stream. But some will be visible earlier in the night, on the evening of Dec. 13, because the meteors' radiant – where they appear to originate – is nearly circumpolar, so they will stay in view above the horizon all night.

How do you observe a meteor shower? The first thing is to dress warmly — much more warmly than the weather might normally make you think  because you won't be moving much. The second thing is to make yourself comfortable so that you can watch the sky: A lawn chair with a reclining back is ideal. And a blanket or a sleeping bag will help keep you warm.

You don't need binoculars or a telescope; in fact these will prevent you from seeing the meteors by restricting your field of view. You want the wide field given by the human eyeball.

It doesn't really matter much which part of the sky you watch, as the meteors can appear anywhere. Early in the evening, they often appear low on the horizon; later at night they are most frequent overhead. You will generally see more meteors if you look away from the radiant, as the meteors 90 degrees away from the radiant have the longest trails.
The most important thing is to be patient. It takes a while for your eyes to adapt to darkness. Then, there are often long periods with no meteors at all, interspersed with more active times when four or five may flash by in a minute. The Geminids are a bit slower moving than their summer cousins, the Perseids, and often end with a tiny explosion — you may hear a popping sound.

If you're clouded out on Dec. 13 or 14, try the night before or the night after: There still should be quite a few Geminids about.