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Geminids Meteor Shower 2015: How to Catch the Colorful 'King of Meteor Showers'

The colorful shower features lights streaks of white, yellow, green and blue.

December 11, 2015, 11:09 AM

— -- The Geminids meteor shower, dubbed "the King of Meteor Showers" by some experts and the "best" and "most reliable" annual meteor shower by NASA, is expected to peak this weekend.

Up to 120 meteors per hour are expected to flash across the skies as the Geminids peak on Sunday night into Monday morning, according to NASA. The space agency said viewers can expect "delightfully dark skies this year" since "the thin crescent moon sets early."

In addition to "glowing white" streaks, viewers in the past have been described seeing streaks appearing yellow, green, or blue, NASA said.

People from around the whole world will be able to see the colorful light display, though the shower will likely be best seen from the Northern Hemisphere, weather permitting.

PHOTO: A Geminids meteor shower above the setting moon in Mercedes, Argentina.
A Geminids meteor shower above the setting moon in Mercedes, Argentina.

Though the shower "gets going around 9 or 10 p.m. local time," the "best viewing will be in the hours just before dawn local time," according to NASA.

The Geminids are named after the constellation of Gemini, from which the meteors appear to be radiating. However, the meteors are actually small pieces of debris from an object called 3200 Phaethon, which NASA classifies as an extinct comet.