Geminids
| Geminids (GEM) | |
|---|---|
The Geminids meteor shower as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, in December 2013 | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɛmənədz/ |
| Discovery date | 1862 |
| Parent body | 3200 Phaethon |
| Radiant | |
| Constellation | Gemini (near Castor) |
| Right ascension | 07h 28m |
| Declination | +32° |
| Properties | |
| Occurs during | 4 December – 17 December |
| Date of peak | 14 December |
| Velocity | 35 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 120 |
The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower with 3200 Phaethon (which is thought to be an Apollo asteroid with a "rock comet" orbit.) being the parent body. Because of this, it would make this shower, along with the Quadrantids, the only major meteor showers not originating from a comet. The meteors from this shower are slow, they can be seen in December and usually peak around December 4–16, with the date of highest intensity being the morning of December 14. Current showers produce up to 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, peaking around 2:00 or 3:00. Geminids were first observed in 1862, much later than other showers such as the Perseids (36 AD) and Leonids (902 AD).
Based on data from the Parker Solar Probe, a 2023 study suggested that the Geminids may have been formed by the catastrophic breakup of a comet that formed asteroids 2005 UD and 1999 YC in addition to Phaethon.