Meteor showers generally happen when our planet passes through the remnant tail of a comet, often long after it has visited our inner solar system. July’s Perseids are a gift from comet Swift-Tuttle, which last came through in 1995. The Eta Aquariids in May and Orionids in October are from Halley’s Comet (1986), and each November we see the Leonids courtesy of comet Tempel-Tuttle (1998). Only two major meteor showers are from something other than a comet, and of those the Geminids are the most active, visible throughout mid-December.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has been studying the sun since 2018 and holds the record for the fastest human-made object, with a maximum velocity of about 690,000kph or 430,000mph. Its study of the sun has also provided valuable data on objects that orbit the sun, including the asteroid 3200 Phaeton. Classified as an Apollo asteroid for its Earth-crossing orbit, it is the largest and most studied asteroid passing closest to our Sun. The data from the Parker Solar Probe lends credence to the hypothesis that a much larger body was catastrophically torn apart by the Sun’s immense gravity, leaving behind 3200 Phaeton and at least two other large asteroids, as well as debris field stretching millions of miles through space.
Comets leave behind icy dust particles that may create meteor showers on Earth. By comparison, the detritus remaining from the cataclysmic event that created 3200 Phaeton is more rocky and often bigger, offering bright, multicolored meteoroids for your viewing pleasure. Peaking on the early morning hours of December 13-15, this rubble collides with our atmosphere at around 35km or 22 miles per second, which is clearly fast, but slower than many other meteor showers, allowing for long, bright streaks across the sky. The fireballs mostly seem to emanate from the region of the constellation Gemini, and we call this point of origin the radiant.
Step outside in the early hours of Thursday, December 14. Look to the south-southwest, find the belt of Orion, and continue up to the bright twins Castor and Pollux. Bring a blanket for the cool late-fall morning, and you could enjoy more than 120 shooting stars per hour on this dark, moonless night.
If you would like to learn more about the sky, telescopes, or socialize with other amateur astronomers, visit us at prescottastronomyclub.org or Facebook @PrescottAstronomyClub to find the next star party, Star Talk, or event.
Adam England is the owner of Manzanita Financial and moonlights as an amateur astronomer, writer, and interplanetary conquest consultant. Follow his rants and exploits on Twitter @AZSalesman or at Facebook.com/insuredbyadam.
