One of the most active meteor showers of the year is here : the Geminids. The cycle of this particular shower of high intensity stars is from Sunday, December 7 to 17, being the best day for viewing the night-early morning of Saturday, December 13 to Sunday, December 14 , since it will be the time of greatest apogee and for both the one with the most number of meteors per hour in the sky.
According to experts, there is a possibility that we see 120-160 meteors per hour and that this intensity of bright and moderately fast meteors, lasts even up to 36 hours in a row. The protagonist of this meteor shower is curiously an asteroid: Phaethon (which astronomers are convinced that it is an extinct comet whose particles were ejected centuries ago). Phaeton, with a diameter of just over 5 kilometers, is known as “son of the Sun”, since it is the asteroid that comes closest to the Sun. It was discovered in 1983 thanks to the IRAS satellite and has an orbital period around the Sun of 3 ,3 years.
Precisely because it is no longer a comet, Phaethon’s meteor shower has its days numbered . Little by little their particles will disappear from space and we will stop seeing the precious Geminids; although, for that, there is still a long time.
The name of Geminids is given because its radiant is located in the constellation of Gemini . All the meteors that we see will appear to come from that point, although this shower of stars will certainly be visible throughout the sky.
As always, the best recommendations to contemplate this fantastic night show are to get away from the cities to avoid light pollution, use a hammock or similar so as not to force the posture of the neck and enjoy the moment without haste and well dressed.
