Global Meteor Network Camera Captures Starry Spectacle Over Trent
The Geminids meteor shower in December offered an ideal evening for Trent’s camera to capture hundreds of meteors from rocky asteroid 3200 Phaethon
Stargazers were in for a treat as the annual Geminid meteor shower reached its peak over the weekend of December 13 and 14 creating a dazzling display of celestial fireworks.
Considered one of the most reliable and spectacular meteor showers of the year, the annual Geminids appear as the Earth passes through the debris field of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a rocky asteroid.
The image of the Geminids (featured above) was captured over the weekend by an on-campus camera installed by Trent’s Physics & Astronomy department, showing the meteor tracks from the asteroid debris. This year, the Geminids produced between 120 and 160 meteors per hour under optimal viewing conditions.
In September 2022, Trent University joined the Global Meteor Network (GMN), an international effort to observe meteors year-round, and installed a camera on top of the Environmental Sciences Centre that captures images of meteors and contributes to a network of over 1,200 cameras in 40 countries globally.
This initiative not only aids in the scientific study of meteors but also allows for the tracking of meteor showers like the Geminids to discover their origins.
Most meteor showers originate from comets, icy bodies that leave a trail of debris as they are heated by the Sun. As a rocky asteroid, 3200 Phaethon is a more unusual source and makes the Geminids a subject of great interest for astronomers.
Recent research suggests that a violent event, such as a high-speed collision with another body, may have created the stream of particles that we see each year as the Geminid meteor shower. The debris from 3200 Phaethon is also denser than cometary dust, which can result in brighter and more intensely coloured meteors or “shooting stars”.
The public can see images captured by the Trent University meteor station (CA002F) and get a near-real-time glimpse of the night sky through the station’s nightly observations. Detected meteors are available to view online, creating an opportunity for all members of the community to connect with the astronomical research happening right in the community at Trent and appreciate the ongoing scientific efforts to understand our solar system.