The Geminids across the sky tonight with a show that promises, according to official figures, up to 120 meteors per hour. The best shower of ‘stars’ of the year also coincides with the passage of Comet Catalina and the Moon in its almost new waning, will not overshadow the light path of celestial objects.
The constellation Gemini, the mythical twins Castor and Pollux, is the reference point in the sky to locate the source of the meteors, which appear to come from there. It is easy to place it on the constellation Orion, where stars popularly known as the ‘three wise men’ are.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to look at the sky a great sky show,” says Santiago Vargas, astrophysicist and researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Colombia.
Vargas meteor highlights this as one of the brightest of the year and explains that the level of intensity of these traces depends on space debris to accumulate in the atmosphere of Earth.
“The planet is moving and while moving entering areas where there are particles that are the traces left by a comet or asteroid. The more debris or particles, more meteors will enter the Earth, “says astrophysicist.
3200 Phaethon
Most meteor showers come from comets; however, the celestial body ‘parent’ of the Geminids is the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which is named after the son of the sun god Helios in Greek mythology.
According to experts this asteroid travels unusually close to the Sun in an orbit that brings it well inside the orbit of Mercury every 1.4 years.
The particles that enter the Earth’s atmosphere tonight arise when, at closest approach to the Sun, the body Rocky gets a blast of heat from the asteroid fragments and dust generated by the current of the Geminids.
This process was captured in 2009 by solar probes stereo- A (Observatory Terrestrial Relations solar, in Spanish) NASA, which confirmed a small tail on the asteroid Phaethon during its closest approach to the sun.
Colors Shooting Stars
The Vargas astrophysicist says that not all the shooting stars are the same color and notes that the shades are explained by the technique known as spectroscopy, which studies the footprint of each item, ie its spectrum.
“In the rainbow we see the spectrum of the sun. When gunpowder burns, the colors, we can know which elements were used. In the case of meteors, depending on their composition, when heated emit different colors “.
The expert notes that the Geminids reds predominate, for components such as iron and nickel, among others metal compounds that are common in asteroids.
Leonardo Delgado, Astrophotographer, this meteor shower is the most ‘photogenic’ in the annual calendar of these celestial phenomena. “The spectacle of colors, at first glance, may not be very noticeable, but the pictures are better at capturing these variations in tone,” he says.
Delgado explains that the Geminids are also rains brightest ‘stars’ that occur during the year: “Perfect for sight seeing and also to photograph because they are the slowest,” he says.
The rate of meteors of 3200 Phaethon is about 35 km / s is because the particles come from a rocky object.
Comet Catalina
In the ideal timing for watching tonight, the meteor shower has its best time at 2 am, but from midnight can be seen in the night sky. While Catalina comet entering the route a few hours later, between 3:30 to 4:00 in the morning, before sunrise, which will be conducive see other objects in the sky.
“It be very close to the constellation Virgo, next to the moon and Venus, “says Vargas and recommended for viewing the comet use binoculars and telescopes, among other astronomical instruments.
Meanwhile, Orlando Mendez, Combarranquilla planetarium director, stresses that the monitoring of astronomical phenomena has always been present in humanity and notes that cyclical events such as eclipses and meteor tonight, served to that civilizations formed calendars.
“When the modern world arises, with modern astronomy, these cycles are explained by science,” he says.
Tips observation
The clear skies of December and the Moon in its waning phase are the basic natural conditions, but to fully appreciate this show. All experts agree that it is necessary to locate in areas removed from the light pollution of the city.
“We have to be very patient because it is a phenomenon that requires being concentrated to see meteors. But once the first is identified, the eye becomes accustomed to the darkness and the point where it leaves the ‘rain’ of stars to keep track of them, “says astrophysicist from the National Astronomical Observatory.
astronomical Applications
Nasa app . With this app you can see the stars. It features daily news updates, astronomical events and missions, among others. It is available on iPhone and Android.
Stellarium . It shows a realistic sky reproduction, to identify any star pointing to the sky with the phone. For Android users.
Google Sky Map . Use data compass and GPS to identify the celestial object that is pointing the phone.
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