Viewing the most spectacular meteor shower of the year (video) – La Raza

         The meteor shower Geminids can be seen from the early hours of Sunday
 

A meteorite (L) of the Geminid meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere on December 12, 2009 above Southold, New York. Photo: Getty Images

Astronomers are ready to witness the Geminids, one of the most active meteor showers, this Saturday night redisplay the most activity every December.

The light show can be seen from around the world until the early hours of Sunday. It is estimated that the busiest time will be approximately at 01:00 GMT.

The Geminids are repeated every year when the orbit of the Earth and a stream of particles collide at one point, located in the constellation of Gemini, hence its name.

The meteor shower high intensity shows its peak in mid-December. This year specific will on Sunday 7 to 17 December.

It is estimated that the Geminids produce between 50 and 100 shooting stars per hour. They can shine in various colors and include quick bursts of two or three.

The astrophysicist at the Astronomical Institute of Canarias (IAC), Miquel Serra Ricart, explained that fall half a meteor every two minutes.

Calls shooting stars are actually small dust particles of different sizes , some smaller than grains of sand , left by the comet along their orbits around the sun.

Due to “thaw” produced by the solar heat flow resulting particles (meteoroids) is dispersed by the comet’s orbit and is traversed each year by the Earth in its orbit around the sun.

During the meeting, the dust particles disintegrate when entering at high speed in the atmosphere, creating known light strokes receiving the scientific name of meteors.

This is true for most rainfall, but not for the Geminids, as there is no match comet trajectory cloud “debris” .

Its origin was a mystery until the solar probes Stereo (NASA) confirmed the emergence of a small tail on the asteroid 3200 Phaethon (at closest approach to the Sun or perihelion) single object moving in the same orbit as the cloud causing Geminid meteoroids

From that moment, 3200 Phaethon is known as “rock comet” . an asteroid approaches much sun thus enabling to form a tail surface breakage due to overheating.