Geminid meteor shower could light up the sky early Tuesday night

The annual Geminid meteor shower is usually one of the best opportunities of the year to see shooting stars, and this weekend it’s headed into its most intense period of activity, with peaks coming on Tuesday night and Wednesday. It lasts until the pre-dawn hours.

In some years, meteors between the constellations of Gemini can be observed at a rate of one per minute during peak nights. The numbers for this year’s show are poor, as the moon makes up more than half of the full moon, and moonless nights are the best for seeing meteors. doing.The moon will rise at 9:38 on Tuesday night

“Seen during the evening hours, Gemini can’t penetrate deep into the atmosphere, so it lasts longer and creates long streaks in the sky.” According to a post on the AMS website“These ‘earth-grazing animals’ are best seen as soon as it gets dark.” “

Most meteor showers are produced by comets, but according to AMS, Gemini comes from the 3200 Phaethon asteroid that orbits the Sun each year, leaving behind meteor-producing dust when it hits Earth’s atmosphere.

According to AMS, “3200 Phaethon is classified as an asteroid, but it often behaves like a comet by ejecting dust as it approaches the Sun.” It is closest to its orbital center on December 14 each year, the day most Geminid meteors are encountered and seen.”

There’s another notable sky view worth capturing recently. Mars and Jupiter are so bright that they are clearly visible after sunset, even before the stars come out. Jupiter closest to Earth in 51 years It was seen high in the southern sky at sunset last September, making it the brightest object in the night sky other than the Moon. Mars is rising just before sunset and is relatively bright.