What makes meteor showers?
When a comet swings around the Sun, some of its ice vaporizes, releasing any dust trapped inside. Over time, this dust spreads out and, sometimes, crosses Earth’s orbit. We experience a meteor shower when Earth passes closest to the comet’s dust stream. Unusual origin of Geminid meteor shower Astronomers first noted the Geminid shower in 1862 and searched for its parent comet for more than a century. In 1983, an infrared satellite discovered asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Astronomers realized Phaethon’s orbit is identical to the Geminid meteoroid stream. This was the first time an asteroid had been linked to a meteor shower. Some suggest Phaethon is, in fact, a worn-out comet. For more information on meteors, visit Astronomy.com’s Meteors and meteor showers.
