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The
annual Geminid meteor shower occurs when debris from the asteroid 3200
Phaethon intercepts the Earth. This is a very rare type of shower in having
an asteroidal, rather than cometary parent.
The shower produces fairly
long, bright, moderate speed meteors. This year's shower occurred very
near the full Moon, so only brighter meteors were seen. In addition, intermittent
clouds on the final evening blocked some meteors.
This is a composite image of
292 meteors collected on the evenings of December 11, 12, 13, and 14.
The intense streak running through the center of the image is the Moon.
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