This December, the world will witness the dazzling sight of the Geminid meteor shower on the 13th and 14th. You can catch a glimpse of the Geminids in flight in a clear sky and away from bright city lights and pollution.
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Geminid meteor shower: causes
When small comet fragments known as Meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speed, caused by gravity, they burn up and the bright flames give them a spectacular “rain” appearance.
According to NASA, “meteors come from particles left over from comets and asteroid fragments. As these objects orbit the Sun, they leave a trail of dust behind them. “Every year, the Earth passes through these trails of debris, allowing the pieces to collide with our atmosphere, where they disintegrate to create streaks of fire and color in the sky.”
How do the Geminids originate?
The Geminids are “one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers,” according to NASA observations. They also show that if its peak coincides with the new moon and the weather is clear, we can see between 100 and 150 meteors per hour. This year, however, the moon is bright, so only 30 to 40 meteors per hour will be visible in the northern hemisphere.
“But the Geminids are so bright that this should be a good show,” says NASA.
The Geminids, unlike most meteor showers, do not originate from a comet, but from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.
Discovered on October 11, 1983, 3200 Phaethon is named after the Greek mythology character Phaethon, son of the sun god Helios.
After circling the Sun for 1.4 years, the rocks on its surface heat up and break off as it approaches the Sun.
Passing the debris trail, Earth has the fortunate opportunity to see the spectacle of the Geminid shower.
Origin of the term Geminids?
The term “Geminids” comes from the constellation “Gemini”, since it is the place from which the meteor shower appears.
According to NASA, “The constellation that gives its name to a meteor shower only serves to help viewers determine which shower they are seeing on a given night.
The constellation is not the source of the meteors. Also, you shouldn’t just look at the Gemini constellation to see the Geminids: they are visible throughout the night sky.”
How to glimpse the Geminid meteor shower.
Although the glow of a bright gibbous moon could wash out some of the bright meteor streaks this year, it is possible to successfully observe them from higher elevations and away from city lights.
Due to the large amount of pollution, the picturesque meteor showers may appear faint and blurry from India, but areas that are free of this do not need to use any special equipment to view the showers.
You should give your eyes enough time to adjust to the darkness, about 30 minutes, and you should try to stay away from your phones, as looking at bright screens affects night vision.
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn