An international research team, including specialists from Tomsk State University (TSU), the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and Princeton University, has obtained unique data on the Geminid meteor shower. The results will help refine the age of this phenomenon and the origin of its source — asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
Observations of the asteroid were conducted both from Earth and from space. In 2009, the STEREO space observatory recorded an anomaly: at perihelion (the closest point to the Sun), Phaethon's brightness sharply increased twofold, but only for 48 hours. Later, the Parker Solar Probe, which flew within 6 million km of the solar corona in December 2024, discovered a dense dust trail near the asteroid's orbit. This trail did not coincide with either the trajectory of Phaethon itself or the orbits of meteors observed from Earth.
TSU explained that previous studies of the Geminids were based on models and data collected during Earth's passage through the stream. Information from the probe allowed, for the first time, to see the structure of the stream from space. It turned out that the dust trail is located on the outside of the asteroid's orbit, while models predicted its location inside. This contradiction indicates the need to revise the theories of the system's formation.
Scientists suggest that Phaethon may have been a comet that lost volatile substances as it approached the Sun. A catastrophic ejection of material shifted the body to a new orbit, turning it into an asteroid. The new data will help reconstruct the original trajectory of the parent object before its transformation.
The study of meteor showers is critical for the safety of space missions. Dust particles moving at high speeds can damage spacecraft. Understanding the structure of the Geminids will allow predicting risks to equipment in near space.
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