What does "Geminids" mean?
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The Geminids are one of the most active meteor showers that we can see from Earth. They usually happen every December and can produce a lot of bright meteors. What makes the Geminids special is that they come from an asteroid named (3200) Phaethon, instead of a comet like many other meteor showers.
How We Observe the Geminids
Scientists use different camera systems to watch the Geminids. In Hungary, video cameras track the meteors, measuring how many we can see at night. They also compare these observations with another system that uses DSLR cameras to catch slow-moving fireballs.
Understanding the Geminids
The Geminids are created from dust that comes from their parent asteroid. Studies show that the main part of the Geminids stream is actually inside the path of the asteroid's orbit. This means that the tiny pieces of dust we see during the meteor shower are likely about 10 micrometers in size or larger.
Future Observations
Even though new spacecraft are getting close to the Geminids stream, they might not pick up many of the tiny pieces of dust. These missions will check areas near the Sun but will not be able to find a lot of Geminids grains when far away from (3200) Phaethon.