PhysOrg: The best meteor shower of 2004 peaks on Dec. 13th: “Make hot cocoa. Bundle up. Tell your friends: the best meteor shower of 2004 is about to peak on a long cold December night.
It’s the Geminids. The best time to look is Monday night, Dec. 13th. Sky watchers who stay outside for a few hours around midnight can expect to see dozens to hundreds of ‘shooting stars.'”
Update 2004-12-13:
this post on slashdot suggests: “If you have an old-type film camera, put it on top of a tripod and set it to Bulb mode (in most cameras marked as B). If it is really old, take the battery out, they will function without any power (Mitra, I love these old Prakticas and Zenits). Point it towards gemini or zenith, if you don’t know where gemini is. Leave it for 15-20 minutes running, aperture around f/2-3. Move to a new frame after the period is finished. The chances are you will capture more than a couple of shots. if you leave it pointed to Gemini, the shots will be more spectacular.”
another article says: “The Geminids get their name from the constellation of Gemini, the Twins. On the night of this shower’s maximum, the meteors will appear to emanate from a spot in the sky near the bright star Castor in Gemini.”
