Geminids

Geminids (GEM)
Geminids (GEM)
	The Geminids meteor shower as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, in December 2013
Pronunciation	/ˈdʒɛmənədz/
Discovery date	1862
Parent body	3200 Phaethon
Radiant
Constellation	Gemini (near Castor)
Right ascension	07h 28m
Declination	+32°
Properties
Occurs during	4 December – 17 December
Date of peak	14 December
Velocity	35 km/s
Zenithal hourly rate	120
	See also: List of meteor showers

The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower caused by the object 3200 Phaethon,^[4] which is thought to be an Apollo asteroid^[5] with a "rock comet" orbit.^[6] 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 December 4–16, with the date of highest intensity being the morning of December 14. Recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 02:00 to 03:00 local time. Geminids were first observed in 1862,^[1] much more recently than other showers such as the Perseids (36 AD) and Leonids (902 AD).

Based on data from the Parker Solar Probe, a 2023 study proposed 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.^[7]^[8]

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. 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.^[9]

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.^[10] 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. Geminids disintegrate while at heights above 24 miles (39 km).^[11]

Timeline

Year	Peak of shower	ZHR_max	Lunar phase^[12]
2006	December 14	115^[13]	33% waning crescent
2007	December 15	122^[14]	30% waxing crescent
2008	December 14	139^[15]	95% full moon
2009	December 13	120^[16]	9% new moon
2010	December 14	127^[17]	59% first quarter
2011	December 14	198^[18]	86% waning gibbous
2012	December 14^[3]	109^[19]	2% new moon
2013	December 14^[20]	134^[21]	92% full moon
2014	December 14^[22]	253^[23]	50% last quarter
2015	December 14	120^[24]	10% waxing crescent
2016	December 13	25^[25]	100% full moon
2017	December 14	145^[26]	13% waning crescent
2018	December 14	125±9^[27]	41% waxing crescent
2019	December 14	120^[28]	94% waning gibbous
2020	December 13	120^[29]	2% waning crescent
2021	December 13	125±25^[30]	73% waxing gibbous
2022	December 14	120	72% waning gibbous
2023	December 13	150^[31]	0% waxing crescent

References

^ ^a ^b Kronk, Gary W. "Observing the Geminids". Meteor Showers Online. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Moore, Patrick; Rees, Robin (2011), Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 275, ISBN 978-0-521-89935-2.
^ ^a ^b "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2012: Geminids (GEM)". International Meteor Organization. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
^ Marsden, Brian G. (25 October 1983). "IAUC 3881: 1983 TB and the Geminid Meteors; 1983 SA; KR Aur (Circular No. 3881)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
^ "Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
^ Jewitt, David; Li, Jing (2010). "Activity in Geminid Parent (3200) Phaethon". The Astronomical Journal. 140 (5): 1519–1527. arXiv:1009.2710. Bibcode:2010AJ....140.1519J. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/140/5/1519. S2CID 6446528.
^ Cukier, W. Z.; Szalay, J. R. (June 1, 2023). "Formation, Structure, and Detectability of the Geminids Meteoroid Stream". The Planetary Science Journal. 4 (6): 109. arXiv:2306.11151. doi:10.3847/psj/acd538. ISSN 2632-3338.
^ Rayne, Elizabeth (June 27, 2023). "We finally know how the mysterious Geminid meteor shower originated". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
^ "Geminids – NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
^ "Radiant (Northern vs Southern)". NASA Meteor Watch on Facebook. 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
^ "NASA All Sky Fireball Network: Geminid End Heights". NASA Meteor Watch on Facebook. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
^ "Moongiant". www.moongiant.com.
^ "Geminids 2006: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
^ "Geminids 2007: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 10 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
^ "Geminids 2008: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
^ "Geminids 2009: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
^ "Geminids 2010: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2012-09-19. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
^ "Geminids 2011: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2012-01-18. Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
^ "Geminids 2012: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2012-12-21. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
^ "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2013: Geminids (GEM)". International Meteor Organization. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
^ "Geminids 2013: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2013-12-21. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
^ "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2014 – Geminids". International Meteor Organization. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
^ "Geminids 2014: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
^ "Meteor Showers 2015". NASA. Archived from the original on 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
^ Lunsford, Robert. "Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower in 2016". AMS.
^ Antier, Karl. "Impressive 2017 Geminids!". IMO.
^ Miskotte, Koen. "The Geminids of 2018: an analysis of visual observations". Meteor News.
^ Dickinson, David. "December Meteor Squalls: Prospects for the 2019 Geminids and Ursids". Universe Today.
^ Rice, Doyle. "The Geminid meteor shower, famous for producing fireballs, peaks this weekend". USA Today.
^ "Best meteor shower of the year: Geminids peak tonight, boasting 100–150 shooting stars". ABC7 San Francisco. 12 December 2021.
^ "Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower in 2023". International Meteor Organization. 13 December 2023.

External links

Viewing details for the 2015 Geminids Meteor Shower
Viewing information for the 2015 Geminids meteor shower
NASA Meteor Watch 2012:
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)

[Kronk-1] Kronk, Gary W. "Observing the Geminids". Meteor Showers Online. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2012.

[moore_rees2011-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Moore, Patrick; Rees, Robin (2011), Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 275, ISBN 978-0-521-89935-2.

[IMO2012P-3] "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2012: Geminids (GEM)". International Meteor Organization. Retrieved 2012-12-13.

[IAUC3881-4] Marsden, Brian G. (25 October 1983). "IAUC 3881: 1983 TB and the Geminid Meteors; 1983 SA; KR Aur (Circular No. 3881)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2009.

[5] "Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-19.

[Jewitt2010-6] Jewitt, David; Li, Jing (2010). "Activity in Geminid Parent (3200) Phaethon". The Astronomical Journal. 140 (5): 1519–1527. arXiv:1009.2710. Bibcode:2010AJ....140.1519J. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/140/5/1519. S2CID 6446528.

[7] Cukier, W. Z.; Szalay, J. R. (June 1, 2023). "Formation, Structure, and Detectability of the Geminids Meteoroid Stream". The Planetary Science Journal. 4 (6): 109. arXiv:2306.11151. doi:10.3847/psj/acd538. ISSN 2632-3338.

[8] Rayne, Elizabeth (June 27, 2023). "We finally know how the mysterious Geminid meteor shower originated". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

[9] "Geminids – NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-12.

[Meteorwatch2-10] "Radiant (Northern vs Southern)". NASA Meteor Watch on Facebook. 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2012-12-14.

[Meteorwatch-11] "NASA All Sky Fireball Network: Geminid End Heights". NASA Meteor Watch on Facebook. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-12-11.

[12] "Moongiant". www.moongiant.com.

[IMO2006-13] "Geminids 2006: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[IMO2007-14] "Geminids 2007: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 10 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[IMO2008-15] "Geminids 2008: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[IMO2009-16] "Geminids 2009: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[IMO2010-17] "Geminids 2010: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2012-09-19. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-12-13.

[IMO2011-18] "Geminids 2011: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2012-01-18. Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2012-12-13.

[IMO2012-19] "Geminids 2012: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2012-12-21. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-10-11.

[IMO2013-20] "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2013: Geminids (GEM)". International Meteor Organization. Retrieved 2013-10-11.

[IMO2013b-21] "Geminids 2013: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. 2013-12-21. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2014-01-06.

[IMO2014-22] "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2014 – Geminids". International Meteor Organization. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.

[IMO2014b-23] "Geminids 2014: visual data quicklook". International Meteor Organization. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.

[24] "Meteor Showers 2015". NASA. Archived from the original on 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2021-10-04.

[25] Lunsford, Robert. "Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower in 2016". AMS.

[26] Antier, Karl. "Impressive 2017 Geminids!". IMO.

[27] Miskotte, Koen. "The Geminids of 2018: an analysis of visual observations". Meteor News.

[28] Dickinson, David. "December Meteor Squalls: Prospects for the 2019 Geminids and Ursids". Universe Today.

[29] Rice, Doyle. "The Geminid meteor shower, famous for producing fireballs, peaks this weekend". USA Today.

[30] "Best meteor shower of the year: Geminids peak tonight, boasting 100–150 shooting stars". ABC7 San Francisco. 12 December 2021.

[31] "Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower in 2023". International Meteor Organization. 13 December 2023.

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Geminids

Background

Radiant

Timeline

See also

References

External links

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