Gemini s Meteors
Explanation:
From dark skies
above Heilongjiang province in northeastern China,
meteors rain down on a wintry landscape in this beautiful
composited night scene.
The 48 meteors are part of last week's annual Geminid meteor shower.
Despite
temperatures of -28 degrees C, all were recorded in camera
exposures made during the peak hour of the celestial spectacle.
They stream away from the shower's radiant high above the
horizon near the two bright stars of the zodiacal
constellation of the Twins.
A very active shower,
this year the December 13-14 peak of the Geminids
arrived just before the December 16
closest approach of
asteroid 3200 Phaethon to planet Earth.
Mysterious
3200
Phaethon is the Geminid shower's likely parent body.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
