As many as two meteor showers this week. One for the first time

Mid-December is the time when the most spectacular meteor shower of the year – the Geminids – appears in the sky. However, this time, a day before the maximum of this shower, another rain, which has not been observed before, will appear for the first time.

Meteor shower observations are most convenient in…? Of course, during the holidays, when they are full, around August 12-13, we have the Perseid maximum. It is often the most active meteor shower of the year, but the Geminids deserve to be called the most attractive and original.

The fact is that the phenomenon of a meteor (a trace left by a piece of matter passing through the atmosphere) can be caused by an object that is not associated with anything. This may be a completely random phenomenon. However, when we talk about meteor showers in the sense that is most popular for us, we are talking about objects whose source are comets.

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During their orbital movement, as they approach the Sun, they throw their fragments into space, which then orbit around the Sun in a comet-like orbit. When this orbit crosses the Earth’s orbit and, in addition, a cluster of material once ejected from the comet happens to be in the path of our planet, we have the above-mentioned meteor shower. Meteoroids (this is what we call particles of matter smaller than asteroids traveling through space) fall into the Earth’s atmosphere, disintegrate and burn up there, and we admire short-lived streaks in the sky, the sight of which usually brings good luck.

We have the opportunity for a huge dose of happiness at the end of the year on December 13-14, when the Earth crosses the meteoroid track responsible for the formation of the Geminid rain. However, in this case, the source of these objects is not a comet, but the asteroid 3200 Phaeton. At first, this seems illogical, because comets near the Sun evaporate and release fragments of the rocks that compose them, and asteroids seem to be resistant to the influence of solar radiation.

Today we know that Phaeton is built in such a way that the Sun’s heat allows it to evaporate, but the mass of the material flow that creates the Geminids is comparable to, or even greater than, the mass of Phaeton. This issue was a mystery, but thanks to observations sondy parker solar probe, which studies the Sun up close, but also its surroundings, managed to create a reliable hypothesis. The Geminids were formed by a violent event, possibly the breakup of an object, about 2,000 years ago.

It is worth noting that not only the night from December 13 to 14, but also the following nights up to Christmas, may be full of meteors. This is important because the winter weather is not favorable to us and we have to hunt not only for meteors, but also for nights with good weather. The Geminids come from the direction of the constellation Gemini, which is visible in the sky slightly to the left and above the constellation Orion. This characteristic constellation is easy to find in December towards the south, and then you need to find two bright stars located close to each other – Castor and Pollux, i.e. the mythical twins mentioned above.

However, your gaze should not be directed towards this constellation, but around it. And it’s best not to move your eyes, but try to concentrate on a selected part of the sky. Since it’s winter, we need to prepare for a cold night. Gemini doesn’t rise until around 5:30 p.m., and is highest in the sky around midnight. The moon will be close to new in the coming days, so astronomical conditions for observation are ideal.

We described the November Leonids as very fast meteors, while the Geminids enter the Earth’s atmosphere at twice the speed, about 35 km. They can create more abundant rain than the famous summer Perseids, but above all they are very diverse.

Yellow meteors are the most characteristic, but objects of other colors may also appear among the Geminids. Geminids are either faint or bright meteors that travel across the sky for a long time and can often become fireballs. From an observer’s perspective, there are few average brightnesses of meteors in the Geminids shower that are typical. We are currently fortunate to experience strong Geminid showers. When first observed in the 19th century, it was an average swarm, with activity not exceeding 10 to 20 phenomena per hour. At least 6-7 times smaller than today.

On Tuesday, December 12, a meteor shower may appear in the sky for the first time, coming from comet 46P/Wirtanen. It is a short-period comet, in the literal sense of the word, because it takes only 5.4 years to complete one revolution around the Sun.

This could indicate the ease of frequent observations of Lambda-Sculptorids, meteors that could be named after the direction from which they come, i.e. the vicinity of a star in the Sculptor constellation. However, such observations have not been made so far. No such meteor shower since we regularly observe the sky and record observations.

This year’s phenomenon may be the first time that Earth has encountered material in the orbit of comet 46P/Wirtanen, resulting in observed meteor phenomena. Astronomers believe that Earth has encountered the above-mentioned cometary material before, but it was in such unfavorable conditions that no one has recorded such a shower before.

However, we have not the best news for observers from Poland. This first Lamdba-Skulptorid shower (still a suggested name, not officially recognized) will peak during the day, between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. In addition, the constellation of the Sculptor is an object in the southern sky, visible from Poland in December only around 6 p.m. just above the southern horizon, so we can only do it with pleasure and prepare for observations of the Geminids.