Astronomy:Geminids

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The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower with 3200 Phaethon (which is thought to be an Apollo asteroid[1] with a "rock comet" orbit.[2]) being the parent body.[3] 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,[4] much 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.[5][6]

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 (IRAS). 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.[7]

Radiant

Appearance of the Geminids on 13 December 2025 at 21:00 local winter time
A Geminid meteor in 2007, seen from San Francisco
Asteroid (3200) Phaethon, parent body of the Geminids, imaged on December 25, 2010, with the 37 cm F14 Cassegrain telescope of Winer Observatory, Sonoita (MPC 857)

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.[8] 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. They usually fall apart while at heights above 24 miles (39 km).[9]

Animated GIF of a Geminid meteor falling earthwards

Timeline

Year Peak of shower ZHRmax Lunar phase[10]
2006 December 14 132[11] 33% waning crescent
2007 December 14 170[12] 30% waxing crescent
2008 December 13 114[13] 95% full moon
2009 December 14 140[14] 9% new moon
2010 December 14 126[15] 59% first quarter
2011 December 14 193[16] 86% waning gibbous
2012 December 13 134[17] 2% new moon
2013 December 14 172[18] 92% full moon
2014 December 13 168[19] 50% last quarter
2015 December 14 203[20] 10% waxing crescent
2016 December 14 157[21] 100% full moon
2017 December 14 145[22] 13% waning crescent
2018 December 14 Template:Value[23][24] 41% waxing crescent
2019 December 14 111[25] 94% waning gibbous
2020 December 14 133[26] 2% waning crescent
2021 December 14 128[27] 73% waxing gibbous
2022 December 14 113[28] 72% waning gibbous
2023 December 14 92[29] 0% waxing crescent
2024 December 13-14[30] 112[31] 99% waxing gibbous
2025 December 14[32] 150 26% waning crescent

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Small-Body Database Lookup". https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?des=3200. 
  2. ↑ Jewitt, David; Li, Jing (2010). "Activity in Geminid Parent (3200) Phaethon". The Astronomical Journal 140 (5): 1519–1527. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/140/5/1519. Bibcode: 2010AJ....140.1519J. 
  3. ↑ 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. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/03800/03881.html. 
  4. ↑ Kronk, Gary W.. "Observing the Geminids". Meteor Showers Online. http://meteorshowersonline.com/geminids.html. 
  5. ↑ 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. doi:10.3847/psj/acd538. ISSN 2632-3338. 
  6. ↑ Rayne, Elizabeth (June 27, 2023). "We finally know how the mysterious Geminid meteor shower originated" (in en-us). https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/06/we-finally-know-how-the-mysterious-geminid-meteor-shower-originated/. 
  7. ↑ "Geminids – NASA Science" (in en). https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/geminids/. 
  8. ↑ "Radiant (Northern vs Southern)". NASA Meteor Watch on Facebook. 2012-12-12. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=450368398355725. 
  9. ↑ "NASA All Sky Fireball Network: Geminid End Heights". NASA Meteor Watch on Facebook. 2012-12-11. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=449938011732097. 
  10. ↑ "Moongiant". https://www.moongiant.com/. 
  11. ↑ "Geminids 2006 ZHR". 20 December 2006. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2006. 
  12. ↑ "Geminids 2007 ZHR". 20 December 2007. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2007. 
  13. ↑ "Geminids 2008 ZHR". 20 December 2008. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2008. 
  14. ↑ "Geminids 2009 ZHR". 20 December 2009. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2009. 
  15. ↑ "Geminids 2010 ZHR". 20 December 2010. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2010. 
  16. ↑ "Geminids 2011 ZHR". 20 December 2011. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2011. 
  17. ↑ "Geminids 2012 ZHR". 20 December 2012. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2012. 
  18. ↑ "Geminids 2013 ZHR". 20 December 2013. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2013. 
  19. ↑ "Geminids 2014 ZHR". 20 December 2014. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2014. 
  20. ↑ "Geminids 2015 ZHR". 20 December 2015. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2015. 
  21. ↑ "Geminids 2016 ZHR". 20 December 2016. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2016. 
  22. ↑ Antier, Karl. "Impressive 2017 Geminids!". https://www.imo.net/impressive-2017-geminids/. 
  23. ↑ Miskotte, Koen. "The Geminids of 2018: an analysis of visual observations". https://www.meteornews.net/2019/07/21/the-geminids-of-2018-an-analysis-of-visual-observations/. 
  24. ↑ "Geminids 2018 ZHR". 20 December 2018. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2018. 
  25. ↑ "Geminids 2019 ZHR". 20 December 2019. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2019. 
  26. ↑ "Geminids 2020 ZHR". 20 December 2020. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2020. 
  27. ↑ "Geminids 2021 ZHR". 20 December 2021. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2021. 
  28. ↑ "Geminids 2022 ZHR". 20 December 2022. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2022. 
  29. ↑ "Geminids 2023 ZHR". 20 December 2023. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2023. 
  30. ↑ "Viewing the 2024 Geminid Meteor Shower | IMO". 2024-12-14. https://www.imo.net/viewing-the-2024-geminid-meteor-shower/. 
  31. ↑ "Geminids 2024 ZHR". 20 December 2024. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2024. 
  32. ↑ "Meteor Shower Calendar | IMO | Page 2025". https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/2025/. 
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