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The
Geminids:
are a
meteor shower caused by the object
3200 Phaethon, which is thought to be a
Palladian asteroid with a "rock comet" orbit. 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 02:00 to 03:00 local time. |
