Shooting stars dazzle night skies as Geminid meteor shower peaks on a moonless night
Sky gazers were treated to a celestial spectacle of shooting stars on Sunday night as a meteor shower visible across the UK took place.
Areas lucky enough to be clear of cloud were able to catch a glimpse of the Geminid meteor shower during its peak on Sunday night and into the early hours of yesterday.
The Geminid meteor shower takes place every December and is regarded as one of the most reliable of the year, with as many as 70 an hour.
Anyone who missed the event may still have a chance even though the peak has passed, as showers are expected to continue shooting through the skies until Thursday.
The Gem in ids origin ate from a rocky asteroid called 3200 Phaethon which has a comet-like orbit. They were first observed in 1862. The meteors, small pieces of interplanetary debris, appear to radiate from near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini.
Friction with the upper atmosphere heat sup the incoming debris, causing the air around them to glow brightly. An absent moon will ensure that the meteors, widely regarded as the most impressive of the year, stand out brightly as they streak across the sky.
According to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Gem in ids areunusualas they can be multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue. These colours are partly caused by the presence of traces of metals like sodium and calcium, the same effect that is used to make fireworks colourful.
The showers will continue to be visible until December 17.