Geminids
E531026
The Geminids are one of the most prominent annual meteor showers, known for their bright, numerous meteors that appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini each December.
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | meteor shower ⓘ |
| activityPeakMonth | December ⓘ |
| activityTrend | intensity has increased over the last century ⓘ |
| annualActivityEnd | mid-December ⓘ |
| annualActivityStart | early December ⓘ |
| bestViewingCondition |
after local midnight
ⓘ
away from city lights ⓘ with clear, dark skies ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
frequently covered in media each December
ⓘ
popular target for amateur astronomers ⓘ |
| discoveredBy |
B. V. Marsh
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
R. P. Greg NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discoveryYear | 1862 ⓘ |
| firstObservedAsWeakShower | late 19th century ⓘ |
| hemisphereVisibility |
Northern Hemisphere
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Southern Hemisphere NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| IAUShowerCode | GEM ⓘ |
| meteorColor |
often bright white
ⓘ
sometimes green ⓘ sometimes yellow ⓘ |
| meteorSpeed | about 35 km/s ⓘ |
| meteorType | mostly medium-speed meteors ⓘ |
| name | Geminid meteor shower NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableProperty |
meteors are often bright
ⓘ
meteors can be slow compared to some other showers ⓘ meteors often leave persistent trains ⓘ one of the most active annual meteor showers ⓘ |
| observationRequirement |
dark-adapted naked eye
ⓘ
no telescope required ⓘ |
| occursWhen | Earth passes through the debris stream of 3200 Phaethon ⓘ |
| origin | debris stream from 3200 Phaethon ⓘ |
| parentBody | 3200 Phaethon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| parentBodyAlternativeType | rock comet ⓘ |
| parentBodyDiscovery | 3200 Phaethon discovered in 1983 ⓘ |
| parentBodyOrbitalPeriod | about 1.43 years (3200 Phaethon) ⓘ |
| parentBodyType | rocky asteroid-like object ⓘ |
| radiantConstellation | Gemini NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| radiantDeclination | +32° ⓘ |
| radiantLocationDescription | near the bright star Castor in Gemini ⓘ |
| radiantRightAscension | 07h 28m ⓘ |
| typicalPeakDateRange |
December 13
ⓘ
December 14 ⓘ |
| visibilityPattern | visible across much of the globe ⓘ |
| zenithalHourlyRate | up to about 120 meteors per hour under ideal conditions ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.