The Geminid meteor shower peaks between December 13 and 14, 2024 (and with weaker intensity on subsequent nights) and offers bright, fast meteors originating from asteroid 3200 Phaethon And not in a comet like most of the meteor showers
The Geminid meteor shower returns again this year and promises a spectacular show of bright and fast meteors. The peak will come on the night of December 13-14, 2024, and the Geminids are considered one of the most reliable and impressive meteor showers of the year.
What makes the Geminids unique?
Unlike most meteor showers that originate from comets, Geminids come from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. The asteroid, which was discovered in 1983, corresponds in its orbit to the way in which the Geminid meteors move, and was therefore defined as the source of this shower. Although an asteroid, Phaethon behaves like a comet, making the Geminids an unusual and scientifically intriguing meteor shower.
Phaethon, sometimes called a "rocky comet" or "active asteroid," was observed with a faint tail and rapid brightness changes as it passed close to the Sun, as recorded by NASA's STEREO spacecraft in 2009 and 2012.
The influence of the moon on the meteor shower
This year, the meteor shower will compete with the light of an almost full moon, which will be gibbous (more than 50% illuminated). Under normal conditions, you can see about 50 meteors per hour, but due to the lighting conditions, the viewing rate may decrease to about 15 meteors per hour. However, thanks to the great brightness of the meteors, the experience can still be unique.
Meteorites on the ground?
Bill Cook, head of the Meteorological Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Center, shared another unique detail about this shower:
"The Geminid meteor shower is one of the two showers (along with the taurids) that can theoretically cause meteorites to fall to the ground. Most of the Geminids burn up at an altitude of 48-64 km, but there is a low probability that one of them will produce an extremely bright fireball and leave a small meteorite on the ground."
However, Cook points out that "this year, the moonlight will greatly reduce the number of visible meteors. Therefore, it is important to find a place as dark as possible and look away from the moon."
Additional tips:
- The Geminids are best seen after 21:00 p.m. until before dawn, peaking around 2:00 a.m. local time.
- Sometimes the meteors appear in quick succession, so be patient.
- No special equipment is needed, but you should bring a blanket to keep warm.
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