See the Geminid meteor shower without braving the cold

CTV News Channel: Giminid Meteor Shower peaks York University's Paul Delaney discusses how Canadians can watch one of the most intense meteor showers of the year.

The Geminid meteor shower lit up the heavens overnight, delighting the few brave (or foolhardy) Canadians who endured the bitter December cold to catch a glimpse.

The meteor shower typically occurs in mid-December each year, when the Earth passes through a cloud of cosmic dust left behind by an asteroid collision. It’s not nearly as comfortable to take in as the Perseids meteor shower, which happens in the summer.

Nevertheless, the Geminids delivered the most spectacular meteor shower of the year, particularly in northeast China, according to York University astronomy and physics professor Paul Delaney.

Delaney said the shower peaked at an average of 60 visible meteors per hour thanks to a heavier-than-normal hail of dust from the asteroid.

“It was a little bit thicker this year because we were relatively close to that asteroid,” he told CTV News Channel on Thursday.

NASA had predicted a better-than-usual night for meteors.

The Geminid meteor shower is named for the constellation Gemini, from which the shooting stars appear to originate.