Geminids 2018: When to Watch Meteor Shower And Everything Else You Need to Know About the Fiery Display

Geminids 2018: When to Watch Meteor Shower And Everything Else You Need to Know About the Fiery Display

5 years ago
Anonymous $L9wC17otzH

http://www.newsweek.com/geminid-meteor-shower-when-watch-astrophysicist3200-phaethon-1255070

The Geminids meteor shower peaks on the mornings of December 13 and 14, 2018—but if you look up any time there’s a clear night sky up until December 17, you might just catch a glimpse of a Geminid meteor.

The Geminids shower is unusual as it is one of two meteor showersconfirmed to be caused by an asteroid (most meteor showers are caused by comets.) The Earth passes through the debris cloud scattered by an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon in December each year. The fiery display is caused as the debris is vapourised by the Earth’s atmosphere, having travelled through the solar system for 4.6 billion years.