The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most brilliant displays that can be seen in the night sky. And stargazers wait with anxious breaths to enjoy this cosmic spectacle.

What are the Geminids?

The Geminids are broken pieces of rock that came from a comet.

When they are at their best, the Geminid meteor showers can produce around up to 120 shooting stars each hour.  These meteors are the result of debris left behind by the peculiar asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

The meteor shower reaches its height around the middle of December each year. 

Key facts!

• In 2022, the meteor shower was active for almost two weeks.
• It reached its maximum intensity on the evening of 14 December 2022.
• When the Geminid meteor showers are at their best, they can produce up to 120 shooting stars per hour.
• This year, however, the strong waning moon made it hard to see the meteor shower.
• When our planets formed, they left behind a lot of space debris.
• Space debris may be found all over our solar system.
• These are objects whose orbits around the sun intersect with that of Earth.
• The Geminid meteor shower gets its name from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which is its parent body.
• This asteroid’s path around the Sun is very long, which brings it closer to it.
• With each turn of the planet, Phaethon’s temperatures go through huge changes.
• The temperatures go from very cold to very hot (above 750 degrees Celsius), then back to very cold, and then back to very hot.
• The heat on Phaethon makes the rocks there expand and contract, which sends small pieces of rock into space.
• This space junk has been floating around Phaethon’s orbit for a very long time.
• As we go around the Sun, we pass through this stuff every December.
• This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “burning up,” despite the fact that there is no actual fire involved.

See if you can experience a live Geminid Meteor Shower. Youtube user “Astronomy Lovers Family” have a live streaming feed for us.

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