Comet 17P/Holmes and Geminid |
The Geminids are a meteor shower caused by the object 3200 Phaethon,[1] which is thought to be a Palladian asteroid.[2] This would make the Geminids, together with the Quadrantids, the only major meteor showers not originating from a comet. The meteors from this shower are slow moving, can be seen in December and usually peak around the 13th - 14th of the month, with the date of highest intensity being the morning of the 14th. The shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 2am to 3am local time. Geminids were first observed only 150 years ago, much more recently than other showers such as the Perseids and Leonids.
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The meteors in this shower appear to come from a 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. The meteors travel at medium speed in relation to other showers, at about 22 miles per second, making them fairly easy to spot. The Geminids are now considered by many to be the most consistent and active annual shower. In 2005, viewing of the shower was restricted due to a full moon washing out the fainter meteors. The 2006 shower had a less full moon, however the 2007 shower was a new moon, with the best viewing position being in the southern hemisphere, with Australia, New Zealand and Chile being noted spectacle locales. In 2008, the Geminids coincided with a full moon. In 2009 the peak date occurred two days before a new moon.[2]