Weather of Arabia - Ammar Al-Sakkji, President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, stated that the evening of Thursday to Friday, corresponding to December 14, will witness the peak of the Geminids meteor shower , which intensifies its activity this year in the period from December 4 to 20 , and he explained in A press release on Sunday said that the peak of the Geminid meteor shower will occur at 2:36 a.m. Jordan time . He pointed out that:
“This phenomenon can be seen in most regions of Jordan and the Arab world, especially in areas characterized by observational standards, such as the desert and the countryside, where the weather is clear and free of dust and clouds, while the chances of seeing meteors and fireballs decrease if the density of the clouds increases.”
Ammar Al-Sakji, President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, indicated that the International Meteor Organization’s calendar for 2023 states that the maximum rate of Geminid meteors is 150 meteors per hour during the peak period in standard and ideal conditions. However, from a practical and local observational perspective according to the geographical location of Jordan, it is expected This rate will decrease to 139 meteors per hour when the radiation center rises in the Jordanian sky, which will be at exactly 2:36 am on Friday under standard astronomical observational conditions.
Al-Sakji expected that the radiation center would appear in the constellation of the Twins in the eastern direction , noting that the best periods for seeing and monitoring the meteor shower are Thursday evening from eight in the evening until Friday morning. He explained that this year the probability of seeing meteors is expected to increase; Because the moon will be a crescent and its illumination rate will be 4.3%, and it will set before the radiation center rises in the sky. The US space agency NASA has confirmed that the Geminid meteor shower will be the most intense and brightest of the year 2023.
Ammar Al-Sakji, President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, explained that the Geminid meteor shower is a unique and exciting astronomical phenomenon, as its source lies in the interaction of a rocky comet and an asteroid known as Phaethon 3200, which falls within the asteroids of the asteroid belt. This type of meteor is distinguished by its uniqueness, as it comes from a mixture Asteroid debris that interacts with the atmosphere to form meteors at altitudes ranging from 80 to 100 kilometers .
Al-Sakkji explained that explosive meteors are associated with a specific comet or asteroid, as they appear on periodic dates in the sky, and appear to radiate from a common point in the sky, and the radiation center of these meteors is in the constellation Geminis, which led to them being called “Geminid meteors.” Al-Sakkji confirmed that these wastes, which are the size of a chickpea or smaller, work to ionize the components of the atmosphere, and appear as fireballs with bright colors that are bright, but they do not pose any danger as they burn in the upper atmosphere and turn into ash.
Al-Sakkji concluded his explanations by noting that the Geminid meteor shower comes with this name as a result of the presence of its radiation center in the Geminid constellation. He stressed that this naming is consistent with the accreditations of the International Astronomical Union, pointing out the importance of the difference between the name of the constellation and the name of the sign that falls within the zodiacal orbit.
Read also:
What are meteors? Why does it appear bright in the Earth's sky?
Perseid meteors... where and when can you see them?
Sources:
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