Geminid meteor shower seen by many people

The Geminid meteor shower was visible to many people on Thursday night

12:30 14 December 2012

The Geminid meteor shower was viewed by many people on Thursday night as it was at its peak in the northern hemisphere. The fantastic display continued overnight into Friday, 14th December, 2012.

The Geminid meteor shower is an annual occurrence as Earth crosses over the route of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon during its orbit.

Asteroid 3200 Phaethon has debris that burns brightly when it comes near to Earth, which is the display of ‘shooting stars’ that many earthlings enjoyed on the run-up to Christmas and New Year. It is understood that shooting stars were spotted by people.

Based on reports, around 80 shooting stars were seen shooting across the sky every hour. With the night sky being quite dark on Thursday, the display was easier to see in parts.

However, in some southern parts there was bad visibility due to foggy conditions, which made it hard to see the Geminid meteor shower.

Reportedly, the International Meteor Organization said the point where the meteors seem to supposedly come from was visible at dusk from some northern areas.

There are connections between the Geminid meteor shower and the constellation Gemini.