🌌 SpacePicture of a Day: Phaethon's Brood 🪐

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Based on its well-measured orbit, 3200 Phaethon (sounds like FAY-eh-thon) is recognized as the source of the meteoroid stream responsible for the annual Geminid meteor shower. Even though most meteor shower parents are comets, 3200 Phaethon is a known and closely tracked near-Earth asteroid with a 1.4 year orbital period. Rocky and sun-baked, its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun is well within the orbit of innermost planet Mercury. In this telescopic field of view, the asteroid's rapid motion against faint background stars of the heroic constellation Perseus left a short trail during the two minute total exposure time. The (faint) parallel streaks of its meteoric children flashed much more quickly across the scene. The family portrait was recorded near the Geminid meteor shower's very active peak on 2017 December 13. That was just three days before 3200 Phaethon's historic close approach to planet Earth. This year, the night of December 13 should again see the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, but faint meteors will be washed out by the bright light of the nearly full moon. Watch: The 2024 Geminid Meteor Shower

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HD image: LINK 🛸

Copyright: Mikiya Sato 🔭

Project Website: LINK 🚀

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👨‍🚀 How many people are in space right now? 👩‍🚀

12

Name	Craft
Oleg Kononenko	ISS
Nikolai Chub	ISS
Tracy Caldwell Dyson	ISS
Matthew Dominick	ISS
Michael Barratt	ISS
Jeanette Epps	ISS
Alexander Grebenkin	ISS
Butch Wilmore	ISS
Sunita Williams	ISS
Li Guangsu	Tiangong
Li Cong	Tiangong
Ye Guangfu	Tiangong