"What could be the best meteor display of the year is scheduled to reach its peak on Monday night.

"Skywatchers with dark skies away from city lights could see one or two meteors every minute during the Geminid meteor shower. The greatest activity is expected to be visible from North America, Europe and Africa....

"This year, the moon will be at new phase on Saturday. And on the peak night, the moon will be a skinny crescent, low in the west-southwest at dusk and setting before 6 p.m. That means the sky will be dark and moonless for the balance of the night, making for perfect viewing conditions."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6692779/

We live way out from any city lights BUT it is supposed to be cloudy and rainy on Monday night.

I'm going to be watching however should there be a break in the clouds at sunset...I love seeing what is happening in the sky!!

Will we be able to see anything in the West?

I don't see why not, as long as your sky's clear enough.

There's another story at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/06dec_geminids.htm

and the note at the bottom says,

quote:

---

This story is written for northern-hemisphere observers, but Geminids are visible all over the world. As seen from the southern hemisphere, Gemini hangs lower in the sky and meteor rates are reduced by factors of 2 or 3. Otherwise, the story is the same.

---

The sky was really clear here last night, so I went outside for a while just after midnight. Probably saw 7-10 good meteors flash by in a period of 10 minutes. They were at all different places in the sky -- some near the horizon, some directly overhead.

We also have a newly discovered comet approaching Earth now, situated below and to the right of Orion's feet. But it won't be getting really bright (if it even does that) until sometime in January.