Using numerical modeling, scientists from St. Petersburg University determined the age of the Geminid meteor shower, which originated from the breakup of a large asteroid. The study showed that this happened around 1600 years ago. Meteor showers are a phenomenon where numerous meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere and disappear, leaving bright traces in the sky, which we call shooting stars. These meteors consist of particles moving along orbits close to the Sun, with most of them being the size of a dust particle.
Scientists studied the orbits of these particles and found that due to small differences in their orbits, they can form a dense cloud around the Sun. If Earth passes through this region during its orbit, we can see a meteor shower, where many meteors appear to be coming from a single point in the sky, known as the radiant.
The Geminids, one of the most prominent meteor showers, give us strong meteor showers every December. Their origin was a mystery for a long time, but now astronomers believe they are associated with the asteroid Phaethon. Despite its rocky characteristics and elongated orbit, this asteroid does not have a tail like a comet, but its orbit is very close to the orbits of the Geminid stream particles.
Thus, scientists have developed a new method to estimate the age of the meteor shower, using orbit analysis of particles and numerical modeling. Their research showed that the age of the Geminids is about 1600 years, which is consistent with the theory of their origin from the breakup of asteroid Phaethon.