Stargazer’s Delight : Unveiling the Mysteries of the Geminid Meteor Shower

Geminid Meteor Shower: Usually you have seen comets that appear suddenly in the sky, comets do not appear at a fixed time.

When you are observing other stars in the sky or moving around in the open space, you suddenly see a bright object coming down in the sky. This is what we call a comet. There are many reasons why comets come to Earth.

You must have wondered what a comet is made of. Basically, a comet is made up of ice, rock, dust, various gases and ammonia.

There are also many different types of comets. Some comets can complete one orbit around the Sun in 100 to 150 years, while some comets take 6 years or more to complete one orbit around the Sun.

Why is it called Geminid Meteor Shower?

There is also an astronomical reason behind this. When any comet is coming from the sky towards the earth, its speed is very high.

As the comet itself catches fire as it descends in velocity, a cometary fire can be extremely flammable. As the comet slowly descends toward Earth, the fire behind it takes on a tail-like shape.  These comets were a sight to behold in the sky.

When this meteor shower occurs every year from the Geminid constellation, astronomers all over the world as well as those who are interested in astronomy wait for this moment and especially the direction of the Geminid Meteor Shower which takes place in December to the earth comes from the Geminid constellation, due to this reason astronomers call this event. Geminid Meteor Shower is called.

Why Does The Geminid Meteor Shower Happen?

There is a lot of dust in the entire universe, dust that is scattered everywhere in an amount that we can’t even think about.

This dust from the Milky Way has been accumulating for hundreds of years and is spreading far and wide around Phaethon’s orbit.

This creates a wide and dense tube of dust in space. All this used to happen around the earth. Especially every December, the Earth moves closer to this orbit and we can enjoy the Geminid Meteor Shower. Phaethon’s dust particles are speeding towards Earth on December month in every year.

Due to the great speed of the comet coming towards the earth and especially during the Geminid Meteor Shower, more than one, many different small and big comets come together towards the earth and fire is created between them due to the pressure of the air.

During this incident, it was actually like fireballs coming down from the sky. But you have to wait for the night to see the Geminid Meteor Shower.

When Did The Geminid Meteor Shower First Appear?

Generally speaking, meteorites have been coming to the earth since the creation of this universe, not only on this planet, but also on other planets, researchers have proved in some researches that meteorites fall.

Deep oval and circular basins have been formed in some places due to the impact of meteorites on the earth thousands of years ago. But normally the big meteors that used to hit the earth in the past are getting smaller day by day.

The occurrence of the first Geminid Meteor Shower is told in different ways by different people, but if we look at the scientific basis, it is said that the Geminid Meteor Shower appeared in the sky at the end of 1800.

Different accounts are also given about this incident. There is still a difference of opinion as to whether the meteor shower coming from the sky at that time was the Geminid Meteor Shower or some other phenomenon.

Many of the comets seen in the late 1800s were much smaller than the meteor shower comets of today. At that time, it is said that 20-30 comets were seen coming down from the sky every hour.

This quantity was also determined differently from different places. No one paid special attention to the Geminid Meteor Shower happening then. Over time, astronomers started research on this and research papers started to be prepared on this.

Time to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower

Although comets can be seen suddenly throughout the year, when it comes time to see the Geminid Meteor Shower, you have to wait for the night to experience it all.

Comets appear brighter in the dark.  The darker the sky, the brighter the Geminid Meteor Shower is. A dark black color is enough to diffuse the light. When you are watching a meteor shower in the dark, you see nothing but the light of the meteors.

We can see Geminid Meteor Shower only in the month of December during the year, there are some dates to remember. The Geminid Meteor Shower is visible all over the world.

If you are watching or planning to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower on December, This is the best time for you. If you are looking for the Geminid Meteor Shower on December, you may have to wait till 9 pm or even 2 am for specific dates.

Depending on the time zone around the world, the time to see the Geminid Meteor Shower may vary to some extent.

America’s space agency NASA has announced the timelines of different places to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower.

You can enjoy watching the Geminid Meteor Shower according to the region or country you live in and its time zone.

Special place to watch Geminid Meteor Shower

It is not possible to see the Geminid Meteor Shower from every place, just as we decide the right time to see the Geminid Meteor Shower, it is also important to choose the right place, below we are going to know which is the right place to see the Geminid Meteor Shower.

1. The yard of a house

The best thing is if you have an open space in front of your house, you can sit and watch the sky in the open space at night.

And when the Geminid Meteor Shower comes from the sky to the earth at the appointed time, you can enjoy it by watching it very fun. You will have to decide which side to observe when you come to your yard.

2. The roof of a house

The roof of the house is also a good option to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower because there is no problem there and the numerous falling meteors can be seen with the naked eye. Even on the roof of the house you have to fix some space and then enjoy the event from there.

3. Open ground

If there is an open ground around your house or within your call distance, you can also go there and enjoy the Geminid Meteor Shower.

You will have more fun watching a meteor shower if it is completely pitch black in an open field.  The darker it is, the more light you will see from falling meteors.

Light particles shine brighter in the dark.  In addition to observing in the open field, you can also record meteor showers for study purposes.