- By Niharika Sanjeeiv
- Mon, 14 Dec 2020 02:39 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Delhi | Jagran Trending Desk: Every year around this time i.e between 4th December to 17th December, Geminid Meteor Shower 2020 is active and are considered as the best and most reliable annual meteor showers worth witnessing in the sky.
The Geminids meteor shower originates from the Gemini constellation and from here it gets its name. The source of the meteor shower is from an asteroid 3200 Phaethon. As per reports, they travel 35 km/s and over 1000 times faster than a cheetah, about 250 times faster than the swiftest car in the world.
What causes it?
As the Earth passes through the trail of debris left by the asteroid, the debris hits the planet's atmosphere. The debris from the collision hits Earth's atmosphere, at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per second and this causes the debris to burn up, producing streaks of light. These streaks are known as meteors which can be caused by particles as small as a grain of sand.
As per NASA, the Geminids first began to appear in the mid-1800s, however, the first showers were not noteworthy, with only 10-20 meteors seen per hour. Since then Geminids have grown to become one of the most major showers of the year.
How to watch meteor showers
All the stargazers here is the last chance to witness the most memorable moment of your life and to watch the meteor showers one should either go to the terrace or find an area away from the city. Well, it might be difficult to see meteors in the first 30minutes but as soon as your eyes adapt the darkness, you all will be able to view them. Also, as per NASA, don’t look at your phone screen while watching the sky as it will ruin your night vision.
Timing to watch meteor showers
The best time to watch meteor showers is from midnight to 4 am today i.e on 14th December. Not just this, one can also watch a live stream of Geminid on the NASA Meteor Facebook page.