Meteor display likely
Monday night
Online reporters
Stargazers are in for a special treat Monday as the annual Geminid meteor shower coincides with the new moon, and should be spectacular on a clear night.
National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) deputy director Sarun Poshyachinda said the Geminid meteor shower, the second brightest meteors next to the Leonids, would begin to appear in the sky at about 8.30pm Monday and last most of the night.
A shower of up to 120 meteors per hour could be expected. The peak moments of the phenomenon will be around 1am Tuesday.
The display should be visible to the naked eye from anywhere in Thailand where it is cloudless and without light pollution. Those wanting to see it clearly should lie down on the ground and look at the northeastern part of the sky, he said.
Mr Sarun said the fireballs would be clearer than in the past because the moon will be in a dark, or new moon phase.
The new moon, barely visible as a slim crescent, helps limit the amount of light pollution, making the "shooting stars"
appear even brighter than usual.
The Geminid meteor shower, seen for the first time in 1860, takes place when Earth passes through the dusty debris of Meteoroid 3002 Fetron. It follows last month's Leonids shower.