OVER the next few nights, keep an eye out for shooting stars if the sky is clear after dark, because there will be more than usual. People think shooting stars (or meteors) are rare, but they're really not - they zip across the sky regularly every night, but because they are so fast and can appear anywhere in the sky they're easy to miss.
But on certain nights of the year we know in advance that there'll be a lot more shooting stars visible, and we even know where to look for them too. Mid-December every year Earth passes through a stream of space dust and we see a meteor shower. It's called the Geminid shower because the shooting stars appear to zip out of the constellation Gemini.
So if the sky's clear on December 13/14, or on any night just before or after that date, look to the east after 10pm and you should, eventually, see a shooting star.
Should you make a wish? Well, I suppose it can't hurt, but don't blame me if yours doesn't come true!
Stuart Atkinson Eddington Astronomical Society
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