Shooting Stars Set To Light Up UK Night Sky
More than 100 shooting stars per hour could streak across the sky tonight in one of the year's most dramatic meteor showers.
The Geminid shower is one of the most anticipated sights on astronomers' calendars and is expected to peak at midnight tonight.
Forecasts show that people in the South and North West should get a cloudless view of the stars and the new Moon, coming two days later, should not interfere with visibility.
Dr Claire Bretherton, from Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: "The Geminid shower moves quite slowly so it will give people a chance to see anywhere between 120 and 160 meteors an hour.
"It's often easier to spot the stars in the early hours of the morning."
The paths of Geminid meteors appear to point back to a spot near the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini, giving the shower its name.
Meteors, also called shooting stars, are the result of small particles entering the Earth's atmosphere.
As they speed towards earth they release a trail of light that quickly fades as the meteor disintegrates.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091213/tuk-shooting-stars-set-to-light-up-uk-ni-45dbed5.html
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