INVERSE | A volatile element may explain a weird asteroid and a glorious meteor shower

An illustration of the asteroid Phaethon. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC)

INVERSE

August 2021

Each December, meteors streak across the sky as part of the massive Geminid meteor shower, with up to about 120 meteors visible per hour at the shower’s peak.

This reliable yearly show is a popular sight for stargazers, but the origin of the Geminids is shrouded in a bit of mystery.