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Every year, between December 7 and 17, the Geminids take place. This meteor shower will peak overnight from Sunday to Monday. Don’t forget to set your alarms for 1 a.m. this Sunday, as the show may be worth it. <!– –>
A shooting star every minute: A meteor shower, known as Geminids, is expected to peak on the night of Sunday to Monday, according to NASA. These shooting stars “can be seen with the naked eye under clear and dark skies from most of the world, but the spectacle will be more beautiful from the northern hemisphere,” says Bill Cooke, director of the office in charge of the study of meteors at NASA.
These “shooting stars” are actually tiny debris left behind by “a strange, rocky object named 3200 Phaeton” that the Earth encounters every year in mid-December. “The nature of Phaethon is discussed”, assures Bill Cooke on the site of the American agency. “It’s either an asteroid in the solar system or a comet.” Upon entering our world, Phaethon’s small debris bumps into molecules in the atmosphere. This shock, extremely violent, produces light. Each debris then turns into a “shooting star”.<!– –>
To make the most of it, enthusiasts are advised to avoid the clouds and lights of large cities as much as possible. It takes at least 10 minutes for vision to get used to the darkness and perceive all the stars, but no telescope or special equipment is needed. And if it is cloudy at night from Sunday to Monday, shooting stars will also be visible on the nights before or after the peak of activity, even if they will be in fewer numbers.
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