The Geminid meteor shower, considered by astronomers to be the most active meteor shower of the year, will brighten up the skies late Sunday night, peaking early Monday morning. The meteor shower often sees 120 falling rocks zip across the night sky per hour, according to NASA.

The celestial cascade is the result of Earth orbiting through a dusty trail of space rock debris from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, first discovered in 1983. The event is named after the Gemini constellation, where the asteroid is believed to have originated.

NASA recommends hardcore stargazers to catch the Geminid meteor shower in an area that's completely dark and with clear skies. New York City's light pollution is a formidable obstacle, but the forecast calls for clear skies and a moonless night, which will improve visibility. The agency also recommends leaving the binoculars at home and avoid keeping your eyes fixated on one spot in the sky.

"Relaxed eyes will quickly zone in on any movement up above, and you'll be able to spot more meteors," NASA wrote in a 2016 how-to guide to watch the shower.

The Geminid meteor shower is just one of several galactic treats happening this month. Already happening in our solar system is the so-called "great conjunction," a rare cosmic rendezvous where Saturn and Jupiter will appear closest to each other for the first time in nearly 400 years. The two planets will appear near the southwest horizon each night, converging the closest and shining the brightest on December 21st, the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year.

The aurora borealis, known as the northern lights, also took place this month, though New Yorkers were out of luck in seeing them, despite initial reports saying they could be seen as far south as New York City.

Tonight's show also caps a set of other meteor shower events that included the Northern Taurids, which peaked between November 11th and 12th. It also comes after several other close encounters involvingmeteors that fell in Poughkeepsie last month, and another that fell in Onondoga County early this month, shaking several homes.

A full list of astronomical treats this month can be found below, courtesy of AccuWeather Astronomy.