The Geminids are an anomaly among the many meteor showers: this is the only one that comes from an asteroid and not from a comet, as is usual in similar showers of comets (or stars), such as the Perseids.
The origin of this astronomical phenomenon, which will be visible from Ibiza , you have to look for it in the asteroid christened ‘3200 Phaethon’ (Phaethon, son of Helios, the Sun god), i.e., an exhausted comet that has no volatile elements.
Phaethon, measuring 5.10 kilometers, was discovered on October 11, 1983.
A good year to see them
If the weather is good, this astronomical phenomenon will be visible from Ibiza with the naked eye and, although they are visible for several weeks, it will live its peak during the night of December 13 until the early hours of the 14th. This year, the phenomenon will occur one day after the new moon, which begins in the early morning of December 12, which will facilitate its visibility.
The name geminids is due to the fact that they appear to emerge from the constellation of Gemini. They have an activity rate above 120 meteors per hour and a speed of 35 kilometers per second for several days. However, in their peak activity, on the night of December 13-14, up to 150 shooting stars per hour can be observed.
To observe them in the northern hemisphere, it is necessary to be oriented to a latitude 40º north from one hour after sunset until sunrise.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.