The Geminid meteor shower, one of the most spectacular on the celestial calendar, will reach its peak this weekend, and astronomers say that, weather permitting, conditions could create a particularly impressive show, reports bbc.com.
Meteors are visible all over the world, but those in the Northern Hemisphere will have the best visibility.
We enjoy meteor showers when Earth crosses comet trails — icy objects NASA calls “cosmic snowballs” — or, in rarer cases, including the Geminids, asteroids that are rocky. When the dust and gases from these objects enter our atmosphere, they burn up and create the trails of light we know as shooting stars, informs Noi.md with reference to
While most meteorites appear white, some may glow green, yellow, red, or blue, depending on the elements in the material burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. Metals such as sodium, magnesium and calcium produce colors similar to those seen in fireworks. The Geminid meteor shower comes from the remains of an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. Until recently, scientists believed that the Geminids were the result of dust from 3200 Phaethon. But two years ago, scientists revealed that Phaethon’s tail is actually made of glowing sodium gas.
The Geminids offer one of the best chances of the year, weather permitting, to see a meteor shower due to the volume and frequency of the “shooting stars”. “What you could see in a nice, dark, cloudless sky would be, say, 100 an hour, which is amazing,” said Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society. “It’s basically the strongest meteor shower of the year.”
Bright moonlight can make it more difficult to see meteors and other objects in the night sky. But weather permitting, we could have near-ideal viewing conditions at the Geminids’ peak. The waxing moon is in its final waning phase, with most of it in shadow, and in the UK it won’t rise until the early hours of the morning, giving us a perfect dark sky to watch the spectacle.
Visibility is still heavily influenced by weather conditions, so the author suggests checking the local forecast and finding a spot without light pollution for optimal viewing. The Geminids are visible to the naked eye, without a telescope or binoculars, and appeared to radiate from the constellation Gemini.
The Geminid meteor shower will peak on Sunday, December 14. In the UK, the weather does not look ideal – wind and cloudy skies are expected – but there may be clearer spells in northern Scotland and other regions where the night sky could be clearly seen.
