The annual Gemini meteor shower, which arrived as scheduled, reached its heyday last night (1February 14). I wonder if your friends have seen this wonderful moment! In order to welcome the Gemini meteor shower, many platforms also broadcast live, so don't be discouraged if you don't see it. The meteor shower will continue on1February 15.

What are the Gemini meteor shower live broadcast platforms?

CCTV News Weibo, Beijing News official Weibo, Sina Technology, ing live Weibo.

Gemini meteor shower stargazing guide

Stargazing time:1February 14 and 15 can be observed.

The peak period is from 14 10 to 15 at 7: 00 Beijing time.

Observation location: A better observation location is a place far away from urban light pollution and at a higher altitude. After arriving at the observation site, it is best to give the eyes 15 to 20 minutes to adapt to the dark environment to achieve the best observation effect.

The maximum value of meteor shower appears around 14 10:

According to experts, meteoroids in the Gemini meteor shower group are very slow, there are many bright meteors, and fireballs often appear, which is very suitable for visual observation and photography. This year's peak is expected to appear from 14 10 to 15 at 7: 00 Beijing time, and ZHR (maximum zenith flow per hour) can reach 120 to 150, which is worth looking forward to.

: Gemini meteor shower viewing skills

1. What do you think? You don't need special equipment such as binoculars to enjoy the meteor shower (this is also a misunderstanding). The best observation equipment is our eyes, we just need to open our eyes and watch the meteor across the night sky!

2. How to look at it: The correct posture to watch the meteor shower is to lie down, so you don't have to look up. Secondly, lying down is more comfortable, and the sky in your field of vision is wider. Therefore, it is recommended that you bring outdoor equipment such as moisture-proof mats and sleeping bags and lie down and wait for the meteor to pass by.

3. Where to look: In the selection of observation sites, we should choose places with broad vision, less light damage and less air pollution for naked eye observation. Because of the strong light pollution in urban areas, it is not suitable for observation, so if you want to see more meteors, you'd better choose places with less light pollution such as suburbs.

4. Where to look: Although it is called Gemini meteor shower, it seems that all meteors are scattered from Gemini. In fact, there are fewer meteors near Gemini. In general, you should start watching at about 20 degrees away from the radiation point. In addition, we should pay attention to avoid moonlight this year. Combined with previous observation experience, it is suggested to observe in the opposite direction of moonlight, that is, the zenith is north, northwest or northeast.

5. Note: Because the suitable observation sites are mainly in suburbs, mountainous areas and other places with less light pollution, people often have to drive there, so pay attention to traffic and personal safety. Moreover, it is winter in the northern hemisphere and it is very cold at night. Be sure to take warm measures and put on more clothes. If possible, it is best to bring a bottle of hot water or high-calorie food such as chocolate and beef jerky to help drive away the cold.

6. Upgrade and see: If you have the desire to make a good record, please prepare tools such as red flashlight, recording pen, camera, tripod, notebook, pen, etc., and record the direction, color, location, brightness and other information of the meteor shower in the form of words or pictures, and submit it to the International Meteor Organization, which will also provide scientific research value for this meteor shower. Of course, if you have binoculars, you can take them with you and observe nebulae and galaxies.

Gemini meteor shower

Gemini meteor shower is one of the strongest and most stable meteor showers every year, and it is also called "the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere" with asteroid meteor shower and Perseid meteor shower. The Gemini meteor shower occurs between1February 4th and17th every year. Gemini meteor shower lasts for a long time. Meteors are generally bright, white in color, moving at a moderate speed, and there are many bright meteors, often accompanied by fireballs.

Gemini meteor shower, as one of the "three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere", will "arrive as scheduled" at the end of each year and become the main observation target of astronomy enthusiasts in winter. As one of the most observable meteor showers in the whole year, from the evening of 14 to the early morning of the next day, the Gemini meteor shower will usher in the zenith maximum flow time with the most frequency.

What is a Gemini meteor shower?

Meteor showers are caused by comets orbiting the sun and falling space rock fragments from asteroids. Gemini meteor shower is the orbital debris of the asteroid with 3200 phaeton, and it is also one of the only two meteor showers that are not from comets. When the asteroid revolves around the sun, the outer layer of the rock will break into dust and be scattered at the tail of the asteroid's orbit. Then our planet passed through this dusty minefield in1February. Fragments of asteroids hit our atmosphere at high speed, and space rocks burn in our sky, producing bright stripes for us to watch.

The origin of Gemini meteor shower

Gemini meteor shower is special. We know that the source of popularity is comet, but the source of Gemini meteor shower is not comet, but asteroid. And its origin has nothing to do with Gemini, because Gemini is thousands of light years away from us. These meteor showers are generally caused by debris carried by celestial bodies passing through the earth. For example, the Gemini meteor shower comes from an asteroid named Phaeton, with a period of revolution of 1.4 years and a flat orbit, which is 0. 15 astronomical units away from the sun.

Gemini meteor shower has three characteristics.

First, the color is white;

Second, meteoroids are slow;

Third, there are many bright meteors and fireballs often appear.

Gemini meteor shower is different from Leonid meteor shower. Its stars are bright, medium in speed and rich in colors. Attractive to visual observers, there are more meteors than Leonids. Under ideal sky conditions, the theoretical zenith flow per hour is about 120 stars.