What are Geminids?

About Geminids Meteor Shower:

• Geminids comes from the constellation Gemini, from whose location in the sky the meteor shower appears to originate.
• The constellation for which a meteor shower is named only serves to aid viewers in determining which shower they are viewing on a given night.
• The constellation is not the source of the meteors.
• If their peak coincides with the new moon, and if the weather is clear, the Geminids can produce approximately 100-150 meteors per hour for viewing.
• This year however, the moon is bright, and so only 30-40 meteors per hour will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The Geminids are unique because unlike most meteor showers, they originate not from a comet, but from an asteroid, the 3200 Phaethon.

3200 Phaethon:

• The 3200 Phaethon was discovered on October 11, 1983.
• It is named after the Greek mythology character Phaethon, son of the Sun God Helios.
• It takes 1.4 years to complete one round of the Sun.
• As the 3200 Phaethon moves close to the Sun while orbiting it, the rocks on its surface heat up and break off.
• When the Earth passes through the trail of this debris, the Geminids are caused.

What causes meteor showers?

• Meteors are usually fragments of comets.
• As they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, they burn up, creating a spectacular “shower”.
• Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from asteroids.
• When these objects come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them.
• Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.

 

 

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Q1) What is the difference between Asteroid and Comet?

Well, they're all planetary objects orbiting the Sun. An asteroid is a small, rocky object mostly found in a ring between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt. A comet also orbits the Sun, but unlike an asteroid, it's composed of ice and dust. 

 

Q2) What is the difference between a meteoroid, meteor and a meteorite?

A meteoroid is a small piece of asteroid or a comet, typically pebble-sized, but could be a little smaller or a little larger, often created from a collision.When a meteoroid gets close to the Earth and enters the Earth's atmosphere, it's called a meteor. And when a meteor enters the Earth's atmosphere at a very high speed, it burns up and produces a streak of light called a shooting star. And if a meteor survives the burn and lands on the ground, it's called a meteorite.

 

Source: Indian Express