Poster production: Feng Juan
Starry Sky has a date | Gemini Meteor Shower will soon "light up" the night sky. This visual feast is welcome to celebrate
In December of every year, the sky will stage a "night sky fireworks", which is the Gemini Meteor Shower. This year, the meteor shower will usher in a huge magnitude on December 14.
occurs in quadrant meteor shower in January, Perseid meteor shower in August, and Gemini meteor shower in December are known as the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere. Among them, Gemini meteor shower is the most trustworthy, never loses the appointment, and the traffic never disappoints.
Astronomical teacher Zhu Goya took a Gemini meteor shower (multiple photos superimposed) at the Fangshan Huatai Scenic Area in Beijing on December 14, 2015. (Photo provided by me)
member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society Yang Jing introduced that the parent body of most meteor showers is periodic comets, but Gemini meteor showers are different. The parent body is the asteroid 3200 Faeton , which is an Apollo-type asteroid .
and most asteroids run differently between Mars and Jupiter orbits, and the Fae-Er group "cross the boundary" and run to the near earth. Around December 14th of each year, the earth will approach the orbit of Faeton, and the matter scattered on its orbit will enter the earth's atmosphere, rub against the atmosphere, generate high temperatures, emit strong light, and then form a meteor shower. Since the radiation point of this meteor shower is near Gemini , it is called Gemini meteor shower.
Gemini meteor shower has distinct characteristics, white color, slow flow rate, bright fire meteor has a large number of them, and the duration is long. It is suitable for direct observation of the naked eye and astrophotography.
Member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and Director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society Yang Jing took a Gemini meteor shower (multiple photos superimposed) on December 14, 2021 at the Huangyaguan Great Wall, Jizhou District, Tianjin. (Photo provided by me)
astronomical forecast shows that Gemini meteor showers this year are extremely large at 21:00 on December 14, with an hourly 100 niche traffic. 14 from the night to the early morning of the 15th is most suitable for viewing. "Shortly after the sun sets on the 14th, Gemini will rise from the northeast. At this time, the radiation point of the Gemini meteor shower is low, and the number of meteors can be seen will not be many; at midnight, Gemini has risen into the air, and as the radiation point of the Gemini meteor shower rises, the number of meteors can be seen will gradually increase. But unfortunately, a bulging moon will rise before midnight, and the bright moonlight will flood those slightly darker meteors. The moonlight will also be accompanied by the meteor shower, but fortunately, there will always be some meteors in the Gemini meteor shower without fear of the moonlight, leaving dazzling traces in the night sky." Yang Jing said.
Astronomy enthusiast Liu Chengshan, photographed Gemini meteor shower in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province on December 13, 2021 (multiple photos) in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province. (Photo provided by me) How to watch this "night sky fireworks" in
? Yang Jing reminded that when viewing , you should choose open areas with little light pollution and less obstruction. For ordinary enthusiasts, there is no need for any special equipment, just watch it with the naked eye. It should be noted that not all meteors will fly out from the radiation point of the Gemini meteor shower. Some meteors appear randomly and may appear in any direction of the sky. Therefore, when viewing meteors, you can choose different directions of the sky; if there is moonlight interference, you should also choose the direction to avoid the moonlight when viewing. (Source: Longshi News Online)
