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Formed in 1937, the IAS is the longest established astronomy society in Ireland.
IAS Public Skywatching – Geminids from Howth
December 14 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Join Us for a Night Under the Geminids!
As part of our free public events programme, the Irish Astronomical Society (IAS) is thrilled to invite you to a Skywatching Evening at the Howth Summit Car Park on Sunday, 14th December, at 8pm.
We’ll be watching the Geminid meteor shower, plus spotting stars and planets through modern telescopes — all free to enjoy! Chat with experienced amateur astronomers and learn something new — or just relax and gaze at the cosmos.
Don’t forget your iPhone — grab a photo with the night sky (if you can! and bring a blanket, a warm drink, and your curiosity — we’ll take care of the rest.
The origin of the Geminids
The Geminid meteor shower in December are one of the most reliable of the year and are associated with the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, found in 1983. Phaeton is an odd asteroid, just 6 kilometres across. It’s not icy, but it has been seen with a dusty tail, leading some to refer to it as a dusty comet. Phaeton’s orbit takes it within 0.14 AU of the Sun, where its surface is baked like a dry lake bed, causing a trail of dust. Astronomers have assumed that the Geminid dust trail formed gradually as dust accumulated with each of Phaeton’s orbits, following the cometary process. But a new study finds this isn’t the case. Instead the team found the Geminids appeared rapidly. They used data from the Parker Solar Probe, which measured the size and composition of Geminid dust particles as well as their relative speed and direction.
The best model from the analysis implies that the origin of the Geminids was not slow and steady, but rather due to an impact event where Phaeton was struck by a smaller asteroid. While it addresses one of the problems with the “dusty comet” model, it only suggests an impact event as one scenario.
⚠️ Weather Notice: This event is weather-dependent. If it’s cloudy, we’ll have to cancel. Please check our website or Facebook page for updates. If we cancel, we may reschedule for another night within a few days — so keep an eye out!
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