FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — The most prolific and reliable meteor showers of the year has arrived. The Geminid meteor shower will peak Thursday night and last up to two weeks. The Geminids are named for the constellation Gemini, the point from which the meteors seem to radiate.
George Observatory in Fort Bend County will open all three of their telescopes to the public on Saturday. Although, meteor showers don’t require binoculars or telescopes to view.
“We are about making education first and research second,” said Observatory Operations Director, Josh Rohn. “Most observations don’t do public nights.”
Roughly 20 to 100 Geminid meteors will burn past earth every hour Thursday night; however, in order to see the event people must escape Houston’s big city lights.
“Light pollution is a problem here,” Rohn said. “If you can find a state park that’s open or any kind of park or if you have a friend who lives out in the country, go have a star party with your friend.”
The George Observatory is part of the Houston Museum Of Natural Science. It is located inside Brazos Bend State Park in southeast Fort Bend County.