Where Did the Geminids Originate and What Makes it Different? The debris causing the Geminids originated from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon. After astronomers discovered Phaethon in 1983, they realized the asteroid's orbit matched that of the Geminid meteors. This pointed to Phaethon as the source of the annual meteor shower. Even though most meteor showers originate from comets, Phaethon was classified as a near Earth asteroid and not a comet.
On occasion this classification has been challenged, as Phaethon's orbit is similar to that of a comet and NASA's STEREO spacecraft in 2009 and 2012 detected a faint tail and rapid brightening around the asteroid's closest approach to the Sun. As a consequence, some astronomers refer to Phaethon as a 'rock-comet', though the term 'active asteroid' may be better, as similar objects have been discovered in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
"The Geminids are one of only two meteor showers that can theoretically cause meteorites on the ground," Cooke said. "The other is the Taurids."
Most Geminids burn up 30-40 miles above your head, but there is a very, very small chance that one may be big enough to produce a brilliant fireball and leave small meteorites on the ground. So far we haven't found a Geminid meteorite, but there's always hope.
"For this year's Geminids, the bright Moon will light up the sky and greatly reduce the number of visible meteors," Cooke said. "The most important thing to do, after finding the darkest place you can, is to look away from the Moon."
The Geminids are best seen after 9 PM and before dawn. Best rates are around 2 AM.