Geminids
Template:Short description Template:Infobox meteor shower
The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower with 3200 Phaethon (which is thought to be an Apollo asteroid<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with a "rock comet" orbit.<ref name="Jewitt2010" />) being the parent body.<ref name=IAUC3881>Template:Cite web</ref> 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,<ref name="Kronk"/> much 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref name="Meteorwatch2"/> The meteors travel at medium speed in relation to other showers, at about Template:Convert, making them fairly easy to spot. They usually fall apart while at heights above Template:Convert.<ref name="Meteorwatch"/>
Timeline
| Year | Peak of shower | ZHRmax | Lunar phase<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | December 14 | 132<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 33% waning crescent |
| 2007 | December 14 | 170<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 30% waxing crescent |
| 2008 | December 13 | 114<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 95% full moon |
| 2009 | December 14 | 140<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 9% new moon |
| 2010 | December 14 | 126<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 59% first quarter |
| 2011 | December 14 | 193<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 86% waning gibbous |
| 2012 | December 13 | 134<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2% new moon |
| 2013 | December 14 | 172<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 92% full moon |
| 2014 | December 13 | 168<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 50% last quarter |
| 2015 | December 14 | 203<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 10% waxing crescent |
| 2016 | December 14 | 157<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 100% full moon |
| 2017 | December 14 | 145<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 13% waning crescent |
| 2018 | December 14 | Template:Value<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 41% waxing crescent |
| 2019 | December 14 | 111<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 94% waning gibbous |
| 2020 | December 14 | 133<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2% waning crescent |
| 2021 | December 14 | 128<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 73% waxing gibbous |
| 2022 | December 14 | 113<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 72% waning gibbous |
| 2023 | December 14 | 92<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 0% waxing crescent |
| 2024 | December 13-14<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 112<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 99% waxing gibbous |
| 2025 | December 14<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 150 | 26% waning crescent |
See also
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
- Template:APOD