One of the most notable annual meteor showers that is happening right now and will peak midway through this month is the Geminids – one of the most notable annual meteor showers.
The special thing about the Geminids meteor shower
The last notable astronomical phenomenon of 2023 is happening and the best time for you to observe it will be the morning of December 14, which is the Geminids meteor shower.
According to the Vietnam Association of Astronomy and Cosmology, unlike most other meteor showers that originate from comets, the Geminids are meteor showers that come from debris from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. . This is a small asteroid about 5 km in diameter and moves around the Sun in an orbit with a period of 1.4 years. The debris left by this asteroid on its path when approaching the Sun are many small meteorites. Every year, when our Earth passes through the orbital area interrupted by this meteorite stream, meteorites enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of more than 100,000 km/h and burn brightly in the upper atmosphere, form meteor streaks that we can observe from the ground.
The Geminids are notable not only for their high number of meteors, but also for their often very bright meteors. This year, without the obstruction of moonlight, you will easily be able to observe the meteors of this phenomenon if there is a clear sky and little pollution.
The best time to observe the Geminids is the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th of this month. Of course, in reality you can observe it with fewer meteors the night before or after, and even from early December nights you may be lucky enough to see a few of its meteors.
To observe this meteor shower, you need to determine its central area. That is the Gemini constellation (many Vietnamese documents translate it as Gemini), or more precisely, the area surrounding Castor star – the second brightest star of this constellation. On these December nights, you can see the constellation Gemini rising from about 8pm (8pm) in the East and rising very high in the middle of the night before gradually moving to the western horizon. That means the meteor shower can be seen all night long. However, the more ideal time is still after midnight.
If it is not polluted by smoke, dust and light and the sky is not cloudy, you will easily find the location of this Gemini constellation through its two brightest stars, Pollux and Castor. Pollux – the brightest star of this constellation is easily recognized not only because of its brightness but also because it is one of the 6 stars that form the Winter Hexagon (including stars: Pollux, Capella, Aldebaran, Rigel , Sirius and Procyon ).
Do meteors have colors?
Mr. Dang Vu Tuan Son, President of the Vietnam Association of Astronomy and Cosmology, said that if the sky is clear enough, you will see that the shooting stars actually do not all have the same color, but are slightly different. This difference comes from the main chemical composition of its surface, which is what burns on impact with the atmosphere.
Because each element emits different wavelengths when heated, they emit light of different colors (you can read an old article I posted previously called “The Nature of Color”). Thus, based on the color of the meteor, you can partly guess the main composition of the meteor that caused it.
However, it should be noted that the image you see here is not entirely accurate, because some elements (especially iron) can emit a long range of wavelengths (i.e. different colors) depending on the temperature they are heated to. Gases such as nitrogen or oxygen do not form a specific color if they are heated independently. However, because they are abundant in the atmosphere, they can participate in interactions with elements at the surface of the meteorite, a greater or lesser degree of which can produce color.
Additionally, because many elements change color with temperature, the color of a meteor also depends on the meteor’s speed. At high velocities, meteors emit a greater proportion of blue wavelength radiation than at low velocities.
For the above reasons, although in many places you can see illustrations similar to this, most meteors you see are blue-white or red-white, depending on the speed and also by iron meteorites (or oxidized iron) accounts for the highest proportion. Unusual colors are less common in practice.
To observe meteor showers, you do not need any supporting equipment, observing with the naked eye is the best. You should choose an observation position with a wide viewing angle and little artificial light (absolutely do not observe where the light shines directly into your eyes). Initially, it will take about 10 minutes for your eyes to get used to the darkness – so be patient, you may not see any stars at first, but after a few minutes they will gradually appear. The best observing position is to lie back so your eyes are always directed upward. Don’t forget to protect your health and pay attention to security issues if the observation place is not your home.
In good viewing conditions, this year’s Geminids could show you about 100 meteors per hour at peak, or more. One week after the Geminids peak, another meteor shower will peak, the Ursids meteor shower. However, this is a small meteor shower and often difficult to observe.