Geminids meteor shower set to soar over Manitoba skies this weekend [Video]

Manitobans can gaze their eyes to the sky this weekend to watch “the best meteor shower” of the year.

The Geminids meteor shower started earlier this month. But on Friday night, the shower will reach its peak, producing between 120 and 160 meteors per hour.

“The catch is it happens at this time of the year, in December, when it can be pretty cold,” said Scott Young, a planetarium astronomer at the Manitoba Museum. “So a lot of people don’t usually hear about it, or don’t go out to see it, but it really is worth getting out under clear skies if you get a chance.”

Young said the Geminids shower is a bit unusual, since the meteors don’t come from a comet. Rather, they’re created by an asteroid designated as 3200 Phaethon, which orbits closer to the sun. It makes the shower appear as though it is radiating from …