[meteorite-list] Geminid Meteor Shower Defies Explanation (Asteroid 3200 Phaethon)

From: MEM <mstreman53_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 11:19:15 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <36184.7528.qm_at_web55201.mail.re4.yahoo.com>

> "The Geminids are my favorite," he explains, "because they defy
> explanation."
>
> Most meteor showers come from comets, which spew ample meteoroids for a
> night of 'shooting stars.' The Geminids are different. The parent is not
> a comet but a weird rocky object named 3200 Phaethon that sheds very
> little dusty debris - not nearly enough to explain the Geminids.

To refine conventional wisdom, the Geminids shower (and its outbound corollary)
of the many meteor showers we see each year, has a parent body that could
produce a meteorite. We preach the non-association of meteorite falls during
normal cometary showers, but we need to keep in mind this possible exception
should one of our clan ever ever be interviewed by Art Bell.

 A meteorite fall during the Geminids is "statistically" more likely to be
related to the shower and parent body, even though statistically obscure. than a
meteorite recovered during a cometary parent body meteor shower. That is to
say, if any meteor shower parent body could produce debris falling to us as a
meteorite this is the shower whose parent body: 3200 Phaethon

Elton
Received on Tue 07 Dec 2010 02:19:15 PM PST