Although we can already see them from the 4th to the 17th of December, the maximum of this shower of stars will be around the 13th, 14th and 15th. For some experts the peak (when we will be able to see up to 120 meteors per hour) will be in the early morning of the 13th to the 14th, around 01:00 h., when the constellation Gemini will be appearing on the north-eastern horizon.

Why Geminids? Because the traces of the shooting stars we see apparently come from Gemini. That connection point is called a radiant.

Why do these events happen at the same times? Because every year, around the same time, we pass through the orbit of, usually, comets. And what our planet does is to sweep away the particles that these comets leave in their respective paths, after suffering the "effect" of the Sun (as they approach, the tails are produced = pieces that are detached and remain free).

So... what we see in the sky are pieces of comets? The vast majority of shooting star showers that we know of are caused by the disintegration of comet pieces in our atmosphere, however, this is an exceptional case, what we will see in the sky these nights are pieces of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

How big are shooting stars? Also called meteors (not meteor, meteorite is when it collides with the surface of our planet) they are about the size of a chickpea. Friction on the upper layers of our atmosphere they are so big that they seem to ignite. They can reach speeds of 40 km/sec.

On the night of 13 to 14 December, from midnight (24:00 h.), and weather permitting, SODEPAL's Astronomy Outreach Programme, as part of the AstroFest activities, will broadcast on the AstroFest website: www.facebook.com/sodepal/

Video of the Geminids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGPfd7fNeC8