Two late-year astrological events will have some folks in central and eastern Kentucky looking to the skies over the next several nights. The first is the annual Geminid meteor shower, which is underway now. Mark Pitts is an assistant professor of physics at Eastern Kentucky University. He said the source of debris for most meteor showers is a comet. “The Geminids are a bit unusual in that their source of debris is actually an asteroid. It’s an asteroid named Phaethon, and it has actually the closest orbit to the sun of any known asteroid.” This weekend, the so-called “cold moon” will arrive. Pitts explained why it stands out. “It is the full moon closest to the Winter Solstice here in the northern hemisphere. It’s going to have the longest night of any other full moon.” According to NASA, the name of the cold moon dates back to Native Americans. ** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation. The post Geminid meteor shower underway, ‘cold moon’ on deck appeared first on The Lexington Times.