Stargazers and astronomy fans are in for twice the fun this week.
Two major celestial events will be taking place within days of each other and both will be visible to the naked eye.
The annual Geminid meteor shower will hit its peak Thursday night into Friday morning. Backyard Astronomer Gary Boyle considers the shower a must-see event.
"Once every 30 seconds you might see a meteor. No binoculars or telescope needed, they're just shooting stars but a lot of them," Boyle said. "Last year they were just phenomenal, you might even see two at the same time. Things like that will be etched into your mind forever. I can show you pictures of meteor showers or videos but until you see that in the sky, a bright fireball that can light up the ground, it's not the same."
Meteor showers occur when the Earth's orbit passes through debris left over from a comet. As the debris burns up and falls to earth, they produce a spectacular light show in the sky.
The best time to see the Geminid meteor shower will be after midnight up until dawn. According to Boyle, it is best viewed in the countryside, away from city light pollution and, assuming the sky is clear, you won't have to look in one particular direction to see them streaking across the sky.
That's not the only upcoming sky action people can look forward to. On Sunday, December 16 comet 46P/Wirtanen will dart past Earth.
The comet made up of gas, ice, and dust is currently visible in the night sky. In fact, a dozen comets can be seen in the sky at any given time -- but not without a telescope. On Saturday, Boyle said comet 46P/Wirtanen will be at its closest position to Earth and should, therefore, be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Like the meteors, it is best viewed in the dark countryside and will be visible throughout most of the night.
"It's a beautiful thing to see in the sky. We don't see Wirtanen too often, maybe every ten years or so. It's a great project for the kids, they probably won't see Wirtanen for a long time," said Boyle. "It's real science in motion."
The comet takes five and a half years to go around the sun and will be 11.5 million kilometers away from Earth, the 10th closest comet to our planet in modern times. According to Boyle, hundreds of years ago, comets were a cause of great panic, with many people wearing gas masks. Boyle said that despite this comet being one of the closest to the earth, the planet's atmosphere keeps us completely safe from any harm.
For more information on the events click here.