MIAMI.- The Geminids or rain of bright meteors once again dazzles the northern hemisphere from the sky until December 17 and promises to be, like every end of the year, one of the most impressive spectacles that can be observed in its splendor between December 13 and 14, according to NASA .
It is estimated that the largest number of bright meteors per hour will fall in the early morning, and people can see, depending on their location, between 60 and 120 shooting stars per 60 minutes, says Farmers’ Almanac, a compendium of information about the weather, astronomy and other topics, mentioned by several publications.
What are the Geminids or meteor shower?
The Geminids are one of the most relevant events in astronomy, which consists of the journey of fragments of the asteroid 3200 Phaeton, at a moderate speed, which orbit around the Sun, in December of each damage, notes NASA.
Scholars cited by specialized media also explain that the phenomenon seems to come from a “radiant in the constellation of Gemini,” from which the name given to the rain arises, which was observed for the first time in 1862.
Other important meteor showers are the Perseids and Leonids, both sighted in the years 36 and 902, respectively, but the Geminids are considered the most active and striking for lasting several days and being extremely bright, with a wide variety of shades of light. yellow, green, red and blue in the shape of a big tail. The color of each meteor is due to the presence that the metals sodium and calcium radiate, they explain.
When to see the astronomy show
Although the Geminids are visible from November 19 to December 24, it is said that they can be observed throughout the northern hemisphere between December 4 and 17.
Particularly, in the US and Mexico, the maximum activity of this rain can be seen in the early morning hours between today, December 13 and tomorrow, December 14, NASA reports.
In Spain you can enjoy it at dawn from December 14 to 15, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN).
The only thing required to enjoy the bright meteor shower is to be under a clear sky, in complete darkness and a little patience. Meteors are usually seen all over the sky, they report.
Source: With information from NASA, as.com, National Geographic
