The Geminid meteor shower will peak in mid-December, though the Cold Moon may dampen viewing chances.

Take a look up at the night sky the weekend of Dec. 13-14 for a chance to catch the meteor shower in its peak, weather conditions permitting. Here's what to know about when and how to view the Geminids.

While the Geminids are active from Nov. 19 to Dec. 24, the meteor shower will reach peak activity from Friday, Dec. 13 to Saturday, Dec. 14, according to Space.com.

This year spectators will have to contend with a nearly full, bright waxing gibbous moon, which may spoil the best views of the meteors by outshining them, per experts.

Named after Gemini because the meteors seem to emerge -- or radiate from -- the same area in the sky as the constellation, NASA advises stargazers to look to Gemini and elsewhere to get the best views. The Geminids should be visible across the night sky.

Here are some general viewing tips from the space agency:

It should take less than 30 minutes for your eyes to adapt so that you can see streaking meteors. But be patient, NASA warns: the show will last until dawn.

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through dusty debris trails left by space objects as they orbit the sun. While most meteor showers originate with comets, the Geminids comes from an asteroid. The debris -- space rocks known as meteoroids -- collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.

Those resulting fireballs, better known as "shooting stars," are meteors. If meteoroids survive their trip to Earth without burning up in the atmosphere, they are called meteorites, per NASA.

The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Leonids originate from Asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The small asteroid is named for the Greek mythology character who drove the Sun-god Helios' chariot because of the asteroid's close approach to the Sun, according to NASA.

While the moon and meteors will compete for viewing chances Dec. 13-14, weather conditions will also play a role. Clear skies are essential for best viewing, so keep an eye on the forecast as the meteor shower's peak grows near.

If you can't glimpse the Geminids, don't worry. There'll be another chance to catch meteors before the year ends.

Look out for the Ursid meteor shower in late December. The Ursids are set to peak Dec. 22-23, according to Space.com.