(WKBN) - The Geminids Meteor Showers will peak Friday night. The almost full moon will limit the amount of meteors we can see this year. Hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour when conditions are just right. That will not be the case this year.
These meteors will be whipping through the sky at around 79,000 miles per hour, or 22 miles per second. We have already received pictures of some across the area.
The weather forecast looks perfect for viewing the meteor shower. Enjoy the show Friday night!
How many meteors does the Geminids Meteor Shower produce and why is it called "Geminids"
During the peak with optimal viewing conditions, the Geminids Meteor Shower has been known to produce between 100-150 meteors per hour. You will find more details on why later in this article. This year will be limited to the almost full moon.
The reason it is called the "Geminids" meteor shower is because the meteors will appear in the sky around the constellation Gemini. The constellation has nothing to do with the formation of the meteors, though, it is just the area in the sky where they appear.
You can find it near the constellation Orion, known for the "Orion's belt" formation that makes up part of the constellation. Gemini will appear to be two long lines of stars originating from two bright stars known as Castor and Pollux. The constellations are high in the sky, looking toward the south.
The cause of the Geminids Meteor Shower is rather unique compared to other meteor showers
The cause of the Geminids is an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. As Earth passes through debris from the asteroid, fragments of it will enter Earth's atmosphere. As they burn up entering, you will see the "shooting star."
But the cause of the Geminids shower is unique to this specific shower. According to NASA, all other documented meteor showers that occur originate from comets. The Geminids is the only one known to originate from an asteroid.
3200 Phaethon was first discovered in October 1983. NASA reports that it is the first asteroid to have been discovered by a satellite. How the asteroid causes such vibrant meteor showers remains somewhat of a mystery to astronomers. For starters, the size of the asteroid is thought to be rather small to produce such a debris field. The asteroid measures in at roughly 3.17 miles in diameter. NASA has several theories about how the asteroid produces such a large debris field. Among the most recent theories is that 3200 Phaethon is something called a "rock comet."
A rock comet is basically a classification given to objects that pass so close to the sun that they are super-heated in their pass, resulting in debris being cast off the object.
In 2009, a satellite observed 3200 Phaethon appearing to brighten when it made its closest pass to the sun. The theory is that the brightness was caused by debris from the asteroid due to it being super-heated by the sun. While that is a proposed theory for how the asteroid produces such a large stream of debris, NASA still thinks it is too large a debris field to account for the number of meteors produced during the Geminids shower.
When and where should you look in the sky?
The Geminids Meteor Shower starts producing meteors a few days before and continues producing meteors a few days after the peak. But the best day to view is at the peak, happening Friday, December 13, 2024 into Saturday, December 14, 2024. Meteors generally begin appearing in the evening, but the best window for viewing is after midnight. NASA reports the best rates usually occur around 3 a.m.
A 2019 NASA analysis of the Geminids shower that year showed most meteors burning up between 45 to 55 miles in the sky.