MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. The Geminids, the most intense meteor shower of the year, originating from the Gemini constellation, will reach its peak on the night of December 14, with its observation hindered by the Moon, which will be 96% full, according to the Moscow Planetarium's press service.
Astronomers describe the Geminids as a "giant starfall," with up to 120 meteors visible per hour at its peak. No other annual meteor shower rivals its intensity. The Geminids can be seen from December 4 to 17, with maximum activity expected at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time on December 14, the planetarium notes.
"Geminid meteors are bright, white, and frequent, appearing often in the night sky. The stream does not approach Earth directly but instead catches up with it, resulting in relatively slow meteor speeds of about 35 km/s," the stargazers told TASS. "The conditions for observing the Geminids in 2024 are unfavorable, as the nearly full Moon, at 96% illumination on Saturday night, will significantly hinder visibility."
The meteor shower's radiant, located near the star Castor in the Gemini constellation, is the origin point that gives the Geminids their name. The radiant reaches its highest point above the horizon at around 2:00 a.m. local time, making the hours after midnight the best for observation. "Falling stars" can be spotted above the southern horizon, and the shower is visible in both hemispheres of the Earth.
The parent object of the Geminids is 3200 Phaethon, an unusual body that is part asteroid and part comet, discovered in 1983. Each year, Earth passes through the cloud of particles left behind by this object in its orbit. As these particles burn up in Earth's atmosphere, they produce meteors - bright flashes in the night sky.