Geminid meteor shower to put on show over Northwest skies

Almost as reliable as the Geminid meteor shower are the clouds that obscure them from Northwest skies.

The annual meteor shower will return once again this month, promising to put on a spectacular show in the Pacific Northwest — if only those pesky clouds would get out of the way.

Considered by some sky watchers to be the most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids can be seen around the world, and this year will peak overnight from Sunday into Monday, according to the American Meteor Society. Scattered meteors might also be visible on the preceding nights.

The Geminids have a reputation for putting on a good show, sending hundreds of bright, colorful meteors across the night sky. Jim Todd, director of space science education at OMSI, said the meteor shower this year is expected to peak near 60 to 120 meteors per hour, visible from 10 p.m. Sunday and onward throughout the night.

The meteors are pieces of debris from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, which has an orbit that brings it closer to the sun than any other named asteroid. The meteors appear to come from the constellation Gemini, hence the name.

Geminids return annually around the beginning to middle of December, though good viewing depends on weather and the current phase of the moon.

This year, the waning moon will be only 1 percent full, leading to darker skies and prime conditions to see the meteors. Weather will be the bigger hurdle in the Pacific Northwest — as of Wednesday, the National Weather Service has forecast mostly cloudy skies and rain likely Sunday night around Portland.