Meteors to light up the sky on Dec 13, 14

UDUPI: Amateur astronomers, mark your calendar on December 13 and 14 for one of the greatest meteor showers, said Poornaprajna Amateur Astronomers’ Club’s coordinator Atul Bhat. The celestial event will take place after 8.30 pm as the Geminids meteor shower will peak. 

“These showers occur during a specific time every year. Geminids is one of the two meteor showers that is caused by debris left behind by asteroids and not comets,” he said. 

The asteroid 3200 Phaethon orbits the Sun and is passing by Earth. It leaves behind debris which leads to the shower. The 3200 Phaethon is a Rock Comet, while all other comets are made of ice. With a large amount of debris left behind, Geminids is one of the grandest meteor showers with an estimated 120 meteor sightings predicted per hour. That is one meteor every 30 seconds.

To enjoy the meteor shower to the fullest, one should find a spot where there are no obstructions near the horizon and with the least light pollution.