Geminids Meteor Shower 2023: This year, the Geminids meteor shower is peaking on the night between December 14 and 15. In India, up to 150 meteors per hour can be seen during the peak time. The Geminids are considered one of the most breathtaking meteor showers of the year. They are called Geminids because they appear to originate from the Gemini constellation. The region from which meteors appear to originate is called the radiant.
While most meteor showers are associated with a comet, the Geminids are linked with an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.
The debris from this asteroid results in the Geminids meteor shower every December. Over the years, astronomers have debated the origin of 3200 Phatheon. Some argue that it is a comet based on the small amount of material leaving the object. Meanwhile, others say that 3200 Phatheon is a comet based on its orbit and its similarity to Pallas, a main-belt asteroid. It takes the asteroid about 1.4 years to orbit the Sun.
The Geminids are unique because they appear with a greenish hue, unlike other meteors, which appear to be colourless or white, Bill Cooke, lead for the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a NASA statement.
The meteor's chemical composition determines the colour it emits when burned in the Earth's atmosphere. Green colour is produced when elements such as oxygen, magnesium, and nickel are burnt.
This year, on the night of December 14, a waning gibbous Moon will illuminate the night sky because of which only 30-40 meteors per hour may be visible at the peak in the Northern Hemisphere. The Waning Gibbous Moon is a phase of the Moon in which the Sun's rays illuminate exactly 50 per cent of the lunar surface, and is also called a Half Moon.
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Geminids meteor shower 2023: When and how to watch the meteor shower
This year, the Geminids will peak at 6:00 am CST on December 14 (5:30 pm IST). One can witness the Geminids just before or after this date. However, the last viewing opportunity is on December 17.
In India, people can witness the meteor shower from 5:30 pm IST to 7:30 am IST.
In order to view the Geminids, one must go to an open field located in the suburbs, where light pollution is minimal. The darker the sky above the field is, the better the view of the meteor shower will be. One must sit on the ground and stare at the open sky for about 15-30 minutes to adjust their eyes to the darkness. After that, they must relax and enjoy the cosmic wonders.
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People must not look directly at the Gemini constellation because meteors close to the radiant have very short tails.
One can watch the Geminids meteor shower online on the official YouTube channel of the Virtual Telescope Project.
More about 3200 Phatheon and the Geminids
Asteroid 3200 Phatheon was discovered on October 11, 1983, using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. Earth passes through Phatheon's trail of debris every year, resulting in the Geminids shower.
Phatheon is the first asteroid to be associated with a meteor shower. It lacks an icy shell, which is the staple characteristic of a comet. Despite this, some believe that Phatheon is a dead comet, which means that it once had an icy shell that melted away.
Some astronomers call Phatheon a rock comet because it passes very close to the Sun during its orbit, resuming in heating and cracking and creating debris and dust.
Though the Geminids travel at speeds over 1,25,528 kilometres per hour, and are 40 times faster than a speeding bullet, it is highly unlikely that meteors will reach the ground. This is because most meteors burn up at altitudes between 72 to 89 kilometres.