One of the great meteor showers of the year, the Geminids, will be visible in December. Here’s how to catch this beautiful sight.
One of the great meteor showers of the year, the Geminids, will be visible in December. Here’s how to catch this beautiful sight.
Meteor showers happen when the Earth passes through patches of debris left by asteroids or comets. As the Earth completes one orbit in a year, these meteor showers are yearly events, as the Earth passes through the same patch of debris at the same time each year. The debris burns up in the atmosphere, making visible trails of light across the sky. The Geminid shower is the result of an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, discovered in 1983.
The shower is most visible from the northern hemisphere but can be caught from the southern hemisphere as well.
