Scenes from the Geminid meteor shower around the world

2023-12-17 2023-12-17T20:44:32Z

Arabia Weather - The meteor showers, known for their multi-colored streaks, the “Gemini meteors,” have astonished astronomy lovers around the world, as this celestial phenomenon displays sparkling lines of light when the Earth passes through the paths of comet or asteroid debris. Meteors can be seen clearly in the night sky if the sky is dark. Cloudy, not affected by light pollution.

The Geminid shower, which NASA described as “one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers” this year, is an opportunity to see dozens of meteors per hour, in ideal conditions.

Dr. Maggie Adrien Pocock, a space scientist, explained that meteors appear when the debris of comets or asteroids burns when they penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere, and she pointed out that the Geminid shower is ignited by debris left behind by a rocky asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.

Dr. Pocock highlights that because the Geminid shower is caused by an asteroid and not a comet, it has a unique luminosity that reflects the rocky nature of asteroids, while comets contain ice. She adds:

“Shooting stars aren't actually about stars, they're just little pieces of debris burning up.” She suggests that the various colors are partly due to different elements in the molecules, such as sodium and calcium.

Scenes from the Geminid meteor shower around the world

The name Geminids comes from the constellation Gemini, where these meteors appear magnificently in the night sky. Dr. Minjae Kim, a research fellow in astronomy, said that this beautiful event appears as if many shooting stars are coming from the same area in the sky.

To see Gemini effectively, it is preferable to look at the sky, and there is no need to specifically look at Gemini. If the vision in the city is not clear, it is preferable to move to a dark place away from light pollution.

Although the peak of the meteor shower was on Thursday night, it is possible to follow it in the coming days in several regions of the world, and it is recommended to download the stargazing application to help you determine the locations of the meteors.