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Shubham Kumar, co-founder of Astroverse Experience Private Limited, an organization working in the field of space science and astro tourism in Nainital, said that every year a meteor shower occurs on 13th and 14th of December. Which is called Geminids Meteor Shower. More than 200 meteorites can be seen on this day.
Nainital: Nainital of Uttarakhand is known for its beautiful valleys, but the night sky visible from here is suitable for astronomy. This is the reason why Astro Tourism is being promoted in the district by the Tourism Department. From here you can also witness astronomical events happening in space.
The country’s prestigious Aryabhatta Observational Science Research Institute (ARIES) is situated in the hills of Manora on Haldwani Road, from where the disturbances in space are monitored and research is done. The Sampurnanand Telescope installed here keeps an eye on the events of the universe. This time the serene hills of Nainital are again witnessing a special phenomenon happening in space which is called Geminids Meteor Shower. This time the meteor shower will be at its peak on 13 and 14 December. You can come to Nainital in Uttarakhand to witness this wonderful astronomical phenomenon. You can see this amazing view from the Astrostops Observatory located in Baldiyakhan. Also you can see this view from Aries also.
Meteor shower occurs every year in December
Shubham Kumar, co-founder of Astroverse Experience Private Limited, an organization working in the field of space science and astro tourism in Nainital, said that every year a meteor shower occurs on 13th and 14th of December. Which is called Geminids Meteor Shower. More than 200 meteorites can be seen on this day. These are also called shooting stars.
Why does Geminid meteor shower occur?
Our Earth rotates in its orbit around the Sun. Comets present in the universe also revolve around the Sun like planets. In such a situation, when the rocky comet 3200 Phaethon present in space passes near the Sun, this comet starts burning. Then its pieces rapidly move backwards. And they keep getting formed in space in the form of meteorites and many of its meteorites also remain in the Earth’s orbit.
When the Earth passes through its orbit on the night of 13 and 14 December, these meteorites come towards the Earth due to Earth’s gravity. As soon as these meteorites enter the Earth, they face friction due to the Earth’s atmosphere and they start burning. Due to which we see a shower of light in the sky which is called Geminids Meteor Shower.
See Nainital from these locations
To see the Geminid meteor shower, you need a completely dark sky, where there is no light pollution at all. You can also witness this incident from the higher reaches of Nainital. Also, one can witness this incident from the Observatory located at Baldiyakhan near the city by Astroverse Pvt. Ltd. For which you will have to go to Astroverse website and get registered. You can also see this incident from Pangot, Mukteshwar and other places. This incident will be seen better after 12 o’clock.
