Natural light show: Meteor shower visible in Myrtle Beach area. Here’s best time to see it
If you don’t have tickets to Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens, don’t fret.
You can catch a natural light show when a meteor shower hits this week — if the weather and moon cooperate.
The Geminid meteors are supposed to peak the late night of Dec. 13 through the early morning of Dec. 14, according to the American Meteor Society.
Up to 150 meteors per hour may be viewable on those days, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is the second of two top meteor showers of the year.
However, bright light coming off a full moon and clouds may obstruct views of the brightly colored meteors.
An offshore coastal front may send intermittent clouds to the area, said Rachel Zouzias, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The sky may be clear on Friday but cloud cover is expected to increase Saturday night into Sunday.
The weekend will remain dry, but rain is likely Sunday evening, Zouzias said.
The moon could also make the shower more difficult to see, as it’s expected to be “annoyingly bright,” said Rebecca Gaskins, the Ingram Planetarium manager. Since the moon is supposed to be full on Dec. 15, its light will likely obscure many meteors.
Gaskins recommends trying to head out at 3 a.m. at the earliest and said the best time to see meteors is after the moon sets but before dawn. Look for the Gemini constellation, which is located southeast in the sky near the Orion and Taurus constellations.
“Unfortunately this year won’t be as exciting,” Gaskins said.
