Rosman, NC – Astronomers at the Learning Center at PARI would like to remind the public of the upcoming annual Geminids Meteor Shower.

Regarded as the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids’ parent body is a rock comet named 3200 Phaethon. The comet’s debris will enter the Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 80,000 mph, which will produce the Geminids Meteor Shower. At their peak, the Geminids are predicted to reach approximately 100 meteors per hour (exceeding more than one per minute) around 8:30 a.m.. EDT, on December 14th. Stargazers can observe the Geminids as early as 10 p.m. and continue until dawn as the constellation of Gemini, the twins, rises higher in the sky. During peak observing (midnight to dawn), the moon will be a waxing crescent, and will not interfere with observations of fainter meteors. Telescopes are not necessary when viewing a meteor shower, and observers should view the meteor shower from a clear and dark location.

This year, the Learning Center will host a Geminids Meteor Shower event on Friday, December 14th. Event packages include lodging in the Learning Center’s new cabins, meals (dinner and breakfast), with educational programming and night sky observing with Learning Center educators at PARI’s Sky Deck. Please contact the Learning Center at 828-862-5554 or visit www.pari.edu for additional information or to make a reservation.

About The Learning Center at PARI: The Learning Center at PARI is a public not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah National Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the 200-acre campus is the former site of a historic NASA satellite tracking station.

Today, the Learning Center is a premier science camp destination for all ages to visit and become immersed in the world of science and technology. The campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive, onsite lodging, and restaurant. Exhibit galleries display NASA Space Shuttle artifacts and collections of rare meteorites and minerals.

The Learning Center provides STEM educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu.

Photo: A view of the Milky Way from the Sky Deck at PARI by The Learning Center at PARI.