After a long wait, the most anticipated moment for global astronomers has finally arrived. This weekend, the night sky will become the stage of Geminids (Song Tu) - a natural phenomenon known as the "king of ice and rain".
Unlike the usual flashes of light, Geminids promise to bring a breath-throwing performance with the appearance of fiery balls of fire spreading out at night.
The "golden" time to hunt for hot air balloons according to data from EarthSky, the Geminids iceberg will reach its peak from 22:00 on December 13 to the early morning of December 14. This year's observation conditions are considered quite favorable as the Moon is only about 34% bright, not causing too many obstacles to starvation.
If the sky is clear and cloudy, observers in the suburbs can count about 20 ice star spans per hour. In remote rural areas, away from urban light, this number can reach 40-50 beats/hour. In particular, during rush moments, lucky viewers can witness a dense frequency of up to one strip per minute.
Expert Robert Lunsford from the American ice Star Association revealed an interesting secret: Start observing at 10:00 p.m. (US time) and look towards the eastern horizon. This is the time when "surfing ice" streaks appear. Because they do not crash deep into the atmosphere, they move slowly and leave a tail of 1-2 seconds, creating beautiful light bands.
What makes Geminids special and produces many brilliant fireworks is their strange origin. While most ice rains are generated from comets, Geminids are the child of the satellite 3200 Phaethon.
As the satellite moves too close to the sun, the terrible heat causes its rock surface to crack, releasing debris into the universe. These meteorite pieces have a thicker physical density than the usual compass dust, so when they hit the Earth's atmosphere, they burst into brilliance, forming colorful hot air balloons, overwhelming the light of surrounding stars.
Note that Geminids is a "one-for-a-lifetime" opportunity for photographers. Because their speed is slower than other ice rains, they appear very clearly in exposed photos. Mr. Lunsford advised the photographer to set a lighting time of 15 to 30 seconds and take continuous photos throughout the night to capture the perfect moments.
Viewers should take advantage of observing tonight because the Geminids' activity chart has the characteristic of "slow up and down fast". After reaching a peak this weekend, the number of ice stars will suddenly decrease. If you miss it, you will have to wait until December 21 to catch the Ursids iceberg - the last astronomical event to close in 2025.
