Princeton Researchers Reveal Violent Origins of Geminids Meteor Shower Using Parker Solar Probe Data

Princeton scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery using data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, uncovering the cataclysmic event responsible for the creation of the prominent Geminids meteoroid stream.

Unlike most meteor showers that originate from comets, the Geminids meteor shower is believed to stem from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. By comparing three potential formation scenarios with Earth-based observations, the researchers determined that the traditional cometary model could be disregarded. Instead, the data from the Parker Solar Probe suggests that a violent and catastrophic incident led to the formation of the Geminids, providing valuable insights into the composition and history of asteroids.

The Geminids meteoroids offer a dazzling display as they streak across the winter sky, producing one of the most spectacular meteor showers witnessed on Earth.

Scientists have long been captivated by the enigmatic origins of this meteoroid stream, as it deviates from the norm by originating from an asteroid rather than a comet. While comets emit a tail of ice and dust, asteroids like 3200 Phaethon, composed of rock, typically lack this tail. Until recently, the Geminids had only been observed from Earth.

Utilizing observations from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission, Princeton researchers have now inferred that the Geminids were likely the result of a violent and catastrophic event, such as a high-speed collision or a gaseous explosion. The findings, published in the Planetary Science Journal on June 15, have narrowed down theories regarding the asteroid’s composition and history, shedding light on its unconventional behavior.

Jamey Szalay, a research scholar at Princeton University’s space physics laboratory and co-author of the paper, explained, “Asteroids are like little time capsules for the formation of our solar system. They were formed when our solar system was formed, and understanding their composition gives us another piece of the story.”

The nature of the Geminids stream, which deviates from the usual cometary mechanism, is an anomaly that has puzzled scientists. Wolf Cukier, the lead author of the paper and an undergraduate at Princeton, remarked, “Most meteoroid streams are formed via a cometary mechanism, so it’s unusual that this one seems to be from an asteroid.” He further noted that the stream orbits slightly outside of its parent body when closest to the sun, which is not easily explained by conventional means.

While comets emit gas and develop tails when they approach the Sun, asteroids like 3200 Phaethon, primarily composed of rock and metal, are not typically influenced by the Sun’s heat. Consequently, scientists have been intrigued by the forces responsible for the formation of the Geminids meteor shower.

One hypothesis suggests that 3200 Phaethon may be a comet that lost all of its ice, leaving behind a rocky core resembling an asteroid. However, the Parker Solar Probe data indicate that although temperature affects some of 3200 Phaethon’s activity, the creation of the Geminids stream is unlikely to be attributed to a cometary mechanism but rather to a significantly more catastrophic event.

To unravel the origin of the Geminids stream, Cukier and Szalay utilized data from the Parker Solar Probe to model three potential scenarios and compared them with existing models based on Earth-based observations. The team classified these scenarios as “basic” or “violent” creation models, with both involving degrees of violence.

By analyzing the simulated orbits resulting from each model, the researchers found that the violent models aligned most closely with the Parker Solar Probe data. This suggests that a sudden and violent event, such as a high-speed collision or a gaseous explosion, played a significant

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More about meteor shower origins

• Princeton Researchers Unmask the Violent Origins of the Geminids Meteor Shower (Princeton University News)
• Parker Solar Probe Sheds Light on Unusual, Violent Origin of Geminid Meteor Shower (NASA)
• Formation, Structure, and Detectability of the Geminids Meteoroid Stream (The Planetary Science Journal)