The Geminid Meteor shower is set to peak during the night of December 13th and the morning of the 14th. The bright flashes of light in the sky produced by the Geminids are thought to originate from an object called 3200 Phaethon, which is more like a rocky comet, than your typical icy comet. This object is dusty, and as it orbits around the sun in our solar system, it is continually shedding dust and debris. Thus, debris from 3200 Phaethon is able to produce large fireballs as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. The best chances for catching a glimpse of one of these fireballs will be when the Geminid Meteor Shower peaks, with a rate of about 60 per hour during the early morning hours of December 14.
Fireballs over England
The Geminids have been known to produce occasional large fireballs. The meteor shower has been known to start as early as December 6th. Once such fireball may have been sighted over England the other night. This bright object flashed across the skies of England and lasted about 5 seconds. Many news reports have stated that astronomers think thatthe object was about the size of a football when it entered the Earth's atmosphere. Now, it is hard to say if the fireball seen in England was associated with the Geminids, since there are several weaker meteor showers that are still ongoing during the month of December. The full extent of the Geminid meteor showers remain much of a mystery since they are not caused by your typical comet.
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