• Source: Geminids

The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower with 3200 Phaethon (which is thought to be an Apollo asteroid with a "rock comet" orbit.) being the parent body. Because of this, it would make this shower, along with the Quadrantids, the only major meteor showers not originating from a comet. The meteors from this shower are slow, they can be seen in December and usually peak around December 4–16, with the date of highest intensity being the morning of December 14. Current showers produce up to 120-160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, peaking around 2:00 or 3:00. Geminids were first observed in 1862, much more later than other showers such as the Perseids (36 AD) and Leonids (902 AD).
Based on data from the Parker Solar Probe, a 2023 study suggested that the Geminids may have been formed by the catastrophic breakup of a comet that formed asteroids 2005 UD and 1999 YC in addition to Phaethon.




Background


The Geminid meteor shower is unique among celestial events as it originates not from a comet but from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, discovered on Oct. 11, 1983, by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). Phaethon's 1.4-year orbit around the Sun and its comet-like elliptical trajectory have led scientists to speculate if it is a "dead comet" or a distinct celestial entity known as a "rock comet." Despite its comet-like orbit, Phaethon lacks a cometary tail and exhibits spectra resembling a rocky asteroid. The Geminid meteoroids formed from Phaethon are denser (2–3 g/cm3) than typical cometary dust flakes (0.3 g/cm3). Named after the Greek mythological figure who drove the Sun-god Helios' chariot, Phaethon's discovery was attributed to astronomer Fred Whipple.




Radiant



The meteors in this shower appear to come from the radiant in the constellation Gemini (hence the shower's name). However, they can appear almost anywhere in the night sky, and often appear yellowish in hue. Well north of the equator, the radiant rises about sunset, reaching a usable elevation from the local evening hours onwards. In the southern hemisphere, the radiant appears only around local midnight or so. Observers in the northern hemisphere will see higher Geminid rates as the radiant is higher in the sky. The meteors travel at medium speed in relation to other showers, at about 22 miles per second (35 km/s), making them fairly easy to spot. The Geminids are now considered by many to be the most consistent and active annual shower. They usually fall apart while at heights above 24 miles (39 km).




Timeline






See also


List of meteor showers




References






External links



Viewing details for the 2015 Geminids Meteor Shower
Viewing information for the 2015 Geminids meteor shower
NASA Meteor Watch 2012:
Allsky cameras observed 328 bright Geminids - notice how similar they are to the orbit of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon (purple orbit)
Composite view of meteors detected in the skies over Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Spectacular Geminid, brighter than the Full Moon (video 2012-Dec-14 07:28 UT)
Meteoroid Environment Office: 53 meteor orbits last night of which 18 were Geminids
2004 Geminids
2006 Geminids
ShadowandSubstance.com: Geminids animated for 2010
"Weird Geminids," NASA, 7 December 2001
Google group search for Geminids, sorted by date
Amateur observations of the Geminids
Triangulation of a Geminid Meteor by Crayford Manor House AS
ScienceCasts: Rock Comet Meteor Shower (Science@NASA YouTube channel : Nov 29, 2012)
Geminids at Constellation Guide
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: When Gemini Send Stars to Paranal (15 December 2012)

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Gemini
• Geminids
• Gemini (constellation)
• Radiant (meteor shower)
• 3200 Phaethon
• Phaeton
• Moon
• December
• Pallas family
• Meanings of minor-planet names: 3001–4000
• Winer Observatory