Geminids

Geminids (GEM)
The Geminids meteor shower as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, in December 2013
Pronunciation/ˈdʒɛmənədz/
Discovery date1862[1]
Parent body3200 Phaethon[2]
Radiant
ConstellationGemini (near Castor)
Right ascension07h 28m [2]
Declination+32°[2]
Properties
Occurs during4 December – 17 December[2]
Date of peak14 December[2]
Velocity35[3] km/s
Zenithal hourly rate120[2]
See also: List of meteor showers

The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower with 3200 Phaethon (which is thought to be an Apollo asteroid[4] with a "rock comet" orbit.[5]) being the parent body.[6] 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,[1] much more 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.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Kronk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference moore_rees2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference IMO2012P was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jewitt2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ 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.
  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.