Geminid Meteor Shower: A Close Review of This Wonderful Constellation

Written by: Sushma • Edited by: George Adcock
Updated Aug 9, 2010 • Related Guides: NASA

The Geminid meteor shower is so named because its trail of meteors is traced back to the region of the constellation Gemini. It produces the brightest meteors of any shower. The spectacular event is expected on the 13th midnight and early morning on 14th December this year!

The Mystries of the Sky!

The night and day sky has always been a source of fascination for ancient man. The moon with all its brilliance and even the stars have always been a source of great curiosity for nearly every human being. Reaching out to the objects in the sky was literally impossible for the ancients but objects falling from the sky were considered sacred and portents from the Gods. Meteor showers were revered to be signs of good or omens of bad events by either happy or angry Gods. One event that had ancient astrologers amazed and modern astrologers and astronomers fascinated is the Geminid meteor shower.

The History of Geminid Meteor Shower!

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Whenever planet earth enters the tail of an extinct asteroid called the 3200 Phaeton, the earth experiences a shower of meteors across the sky. The two week event is annual and wonderful to behold. Astrologers always wondered about the history of the Geminid shooting stars and what causes them. They are considered to be unique as they are caused by an asteroid, the 3200 Phaeton, and not a comet like all other meteor showers. There have been rumblings that the 3200 Phaeton could have originally been a comet but there is no research to prove that theory yet. As such, when Phaeton was really young, it was a comet but it burned out and was caught in the orbit of Saturn and now it swings by the earth nearly every year leaving a tail of dirt and meteor showers.

{Image credit: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon Orbit: Courtesy: Randy Russell Source : http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/asteroids/asteroid_3200_phaethon.html&edu=elem}

Annual appearances of the Geminid meteor shower

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Astrologers noted the Geminid meteor shower for the first time in 1882. However, the parent asteroid 3200 Phaethon was discovered in 1983, when astronomers were actually looking for the parent comet. Very soon it was realized the its orbit is the same as that of the Geminid meteoroid stream.

Tha appearance of the Geminid meteor shower is as regular as clockwork, putting in an annual appearance in the night sky every year in the month of December. The showers start from December 7 and then increase in duration and intensity.

December 1998 was a very good year for watching Geminid showers. The peak was observed on December 13th and produced about one shooting star every 30 seconds.

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In 2004, the peak of the Geminid meteor shower was visible on the evening of December 13th and lasted till early morning of the 14th. Due to its broader peak and clear sky, the Americans had a spectacular show!

In 2008, the Gemind meteor shower peak event occurred on the full moon day, which was the major interference in watching it. The peak time was 6 p.m EST on December 13th.

{Above left: Gemini Meteor shower: Image credit: http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/2007/12/13/geminid_meteor_shower_2_2.jpg}

{Image credit: Right:Geminid Meteor shower 12th December 2008, Courtsey; Linda Haywood: http://www.24hourtrading.co.uk/blog/geminids-meteor-shower-on-friday-12th-december-2008-1258/}

How to View The Geminid Meteor Shower?

The Geminid meteor shower can appear in any part of the sky. It appears appear every year between December 7^th to 17^th. The peak however varies every year from December 12^th-14^th .

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For the best view, One should face east and look between one half to one third of the way up in the sky.

The Geminid meteor showers are clearly noticed after the moon sets because the radiant point of the meteor shower passes almost overhead. One should understand that if the radiant of the shower is high, it produces more number of meteors all over the sky.

The best time is to watch is generally 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. on the peak days.

For a clear visibility, a dark and clear sky with no clouds is most favorable. A dark sky is one approximately 40 Km away from any metropolitan city!

One does not require any optical aid like a telescope or binoculars to watch a Geminid meteor shower. Since the weather during that period is very cold, it is suggested that the viewer put on lots of warm clothes.

{Above: Gemini Meteor shower Location : Image credit : Linda Haywood: http://www.24hourtrading.co.uk/blog/geminids-meteor-shower-on-friday-12th-december-2008-1258/}

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