Geminids Meteor

Things You Should Know About Geminids Meteor Shower 

Except wishing upon these shooting stars...

Written by Astromate

Alibey Aydin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

We all know about shooting star and in bollywood often referred as Toot ta tara ,but that is not all about it this Meteor shower has a story of itself before getting into the facts lets saddle up for enjoying this alluring wonder.

You don't need any special equipment to view a meteor shower. Even though all you really need is a clear sky, lots of patience, and a visibility conditions meter to see a meteor shower, the following tips can help maximize your shooting star viewing experience.

The Time to enjoy Geminids meteor is  on December 13 or 14, depending on your time zone in both the hemispheres From 10 pm onward The peak time is about 2 Am  right before dawn on Friday of 14 December.

→  Find a lonesome viewing spot, away from the city lights. Once at the venue, your eyes may take 15 to 20 minutes to get used to the dark.

→Dress for the weather,make sure you are comfortable, especially if you plan to stay out long. Bring a blanket or a comfortable chair with you.(meteor watching can be a long waiting)

→Look for This sky map in the Sky To savor each moment of this shooting stars and saving lots of time.

→Visit The Interactive Meteor Shower Sky Map

Credit: Stellarium/Scott Sutherland

Lets get into the facts about Geminids..

1.Comet..No an asteroid.

Normally trail of a comet is reason for occurrence of a splendid meteor shower ,But The Geminids is a special case this is because of tail of an asteroid name  3200 Phaethon. Phaethon only 3 miles wide sometimes referred to as a “rock comet.”leaves a trail of debris, and that debris  from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon burns up in the night sky, it creates bright, long-lasting streaks across the sky.

2.How Phaethon is creating wonders. 

A long elliptical orbit of the asteroid Phaethon 3200 makes it ride closer to the sun and this meteor kindling means slowly moving  rocky asteroid is burned as it moves creating a tail of of debris and rocks.this is the path of the Phaethon.

Sky and Telescope


Google did a splendid job to show the effect of Sun On 3200 Phaethon..

3.Why Phaethon & Geminids

The Geminids named because they appear to radiate outward from the constellation Gemini in all directions. But they are created from the trail of a very peculiar asteroid named 32000 Phaethon. Like its namesake in Greek mythology, 3200 Phaethon comes very close to the sun.In Greek mythology Phaeton is the son of either Apollo or Helios, depending on the tale. They’re gods associated with the sun.

4.Love for December 

The Geminids are considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year,  because every year they appear in December with the possibility of sighting around 120 meteors per hour at its peak, which is on December 13 or 14, depending on your time zone.

5.How Can Google Miss This..;)

Google made an exciting interactive doodle to explain this meteor shower which showcases the journey of Phaethon from an asteriod till a meteor shower 

Visit The Google Doodle dedicated to Geminids Meteor Shower.