A mainstay of the December night sky, the Geminids meteor shower first appeared in the mid-1800s, and it’s grown more impressive in the ensuing years. It now features up to 120 meteorites an hour given clear skies.
A new study may have found that the shower originated in some type of catastrophic collision. This differentiates it from most showers, which come from icy comets that pass close to the sun, that then melts and releases particles.
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The study concludes that instead of a comet, the Geminids material came from a small asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, which is only about 4 miles in diameter. Named after the driver of the Greek god Helios’ chariot, 3200 Phaethon passes close to the sun on its way around an uneven orbit. The material follows a similar orbit, although it stays just to the outside of the ...
