Английская Википедия:Geminids

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The Geminids are a prolific 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 December 4–16, with the date of highest intensity being the morning of December 14. Recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 02:00 to 03:00 local time. Geminids were first observed in 1862, much more recently than other showers such as the Perseids (36 AD) and Leonids (902 AD).

Based on data from the Parker Solar Probe, a 2023 study proposed 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.

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. 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.

Radiant

Файл:Geminid 121407 1.jpg

A Geminid meteor in 2007, seen from San Francisco

Файл:Asteroid Phaethon 25dec2010 stack.jpg

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. The meteors travel at medium speed in relation to other showers, at about Шаблон:Convert, making them fairly easy to spot. The Geminids are now considered by many to be the most consistent and active annual shower. Geminids disintegrate while at heights above Шаблон:Convert.

Файл:Meteor falling courtesy NASA.gif

Animated GIF of a Geminid meteor falling earthwards

Timeline

Year	Peak of shower	ZHRmax	Lunar phase
2006	December 14	115	33% waning crescent
2007	December 15	122	30% waxing crescent
2008	December 14	139	95% full moon
2009	December 13	120	9% new moon
2010	December 14	127	59% first quarter
2011	December 14	198	86% waning gibbous
2012	December 14	109	2% new moon
2013	December 14	134	92% full moon
2014	December 14	253	50% last quarter
2015	December 14	120	10% waxing crescent
2016	December 13	25	100% full moon
2017	December 14	145	13% waning crescent
2018	December 14	Шаблон:Value	41% waxing crescent
2019	December 14	120	94% waning gibbous
2020	December 13	120	2% waning crescent
2021	December 13	Шаблон:Value	73% waxing gibbous
2022	December 14	120	72% waning gibbous
2023	December 13	150	0% waxing crescent

See also

• List of meteor showers

External links

• Viewing details for the 2015 Geminids Meteor Shower
• Viewing information for the 2015 Geminids meteor shower
• NASA Meteor Watch 2012:
  • Allsky cameras observed 328 bright Geminids - notice how similar they are to the orbit of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon (purple orbit)
  • Composite view of meteors detected in the skies over Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
  • Spectacular Geminid, brighter than the Full Moon (video 2012-Dec-14 07:28 UT)
  • Meteoroid Environment Office: 53 meteor orbits last night of which 18 were Geminids
• 2004 Geminids
• 2006 Geminids
• ShadowandSubstance.com: Geminids animated for 2010
• "Weird Geminids," NASA, 7 December 2001
• Google group search for Geminids, sorted by date
• Amateur observations of the Geminids
• Triangulation of a Geminid Meteor by Crayford Manor House AS
• ScienceCasts: Rock Comet Meteor Shower (Science@NASA YouTube channel : Nov 29, 2012)
• Geminids at Constellation Guide
• Шаблон:APOD