双子流星与手套峰

2022年12月25日

Geminids and the Mittens
Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Derus

Explanation: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon’s annual gift to planet Earth always arrives in December. Otherwise known as the Geminid meteor shower, the source of the meteroid stream is dust shed along the orbit of the mysterious asteroid. Near the December 13/14 peak of the shower’s activity, geminid meteors are captured in this night skyscape, composited from 22 images of starry sky taken before the moon rose over Monument Valley in the American southwest. The bright stars near the position of the shower’s radiant are the constellation Gemini’s twin stars Castor (blue) and Pollux (yellow). As Earth sweeps through the dusty stream, the parallel meteor trails appear to radiate from a point on the sky in Gemini due to perspective, and so the yearly shower is named for the constellation. From the camera’s perspective, this view of three prominent buttes across Monument Valley also suggests appropriate names for two of them. The third one is called Merrick Butte.

Tomorrow’s picture: the dragon’s egg

双子流星与手套峰
影像提供与版权: Chuck Derus

说明: 法厄法同小行星（3200 Phaethon）每年总是在12月为地球送来礼物。这份名为双子流星雨的贺礼，其源头是这颗神秘小行星遗落在轨道上的尘埃。这幅来自美国西南部纪念碑谷的夜空影像所呈现的双子流星，是由12月13/14日流星雨极大期附近、月亮东升之前拍摄的22张星空照片叠加而成。在这群流星雨辐射点附近的亮星，分别是双子座的双子星北河二（蓝）和北河三（黄）。当地球穿过这道尘埃流时，由于透视之故，平行的流星痕看似辐散自双子座内的辐射点，因此年年复现的这群流星雨就以双子座为名。从这部相机的视角，视野里三个很吸睛的纪念碑谷孤峰之中，二者的名称不言而喻（左、右手套峰），第三座孤峰为梅瑞克峰。

明日的图片: the dragon’s egg