Geminids
Rich swarm of shooting stars in the night sky
Updated 12/13/2024 – 5:15 p.mreading time: 2 min.
They are part of a cosmic dust cloud. When they enter the atmosphere, the particles burn up and become shooting stars – and can now be seen.
In the coming days, stargazers can hope for one of the richest meteor showers of the year in the night sky. When visibility is good, the Geminid shooting stars can be observed in the sky from December 6th to 16th.
the climax is to be expected on the night of December 13th to 14th, said the chairman of the Association of Star Friends based in Bensheim in southern Hesse, Uwe Pilz, at the request of the German Press Agency. But shooting stars can also appear in the sky on the nights before or after.
However, the weather has to cooperate for this. According to Pilz, there can be another downside: At the peak of the meteor shower there is a full moon – and that can disturb the view.
“I recommend using the half hour between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.on December 14th,” says Pilz. The earthly companion then stands low and does not disturb you. “It’s also worth driving into the dark at this time.” In cities, human light can interfere with observations.
According to Pilz, the shooting stars appear all over the sky, with the point of radiation being the constellation Gemini. It is located high in the southwest on the morning of December 14th. “If the conditions are good, 30 to 40 shooting stars can be visible in that half hour.”
The reason for the Geminids’ shooting star shower is that the Earth passes through a cosmic dust cloud.This probably comes from the minor planet Phaethon, which may have broken up and left debris in its orbit that is now burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.