The Geminid Fireball

Photographer: Jianfeng Dai
Country: China

On 13 December 2022, a Geminid meteor illuminated the sky above Blue Moon Valley in Yunnan, China, casting a breathtaking display against the serene backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. This image that captured the moment receives an honourable mention in the category of Still images taken exclusively with smartphones/mobile devices. Renowned for their dazzling brightness and vivid hues, the Geminids are among the most vibrant meteor showers, originating from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Each year, as our planet traverses Phaethon’s debris trail, fragments of dust and rock vaporise in the atmosphere, creating the stunning phenomenon of the Geminid meteor shower. In this stunning night sky image, the twin stars of Gemini (Castor and Pollux) are obscured by the silhouetted trees on the left. Mirrored in the calm waters are the stars that make up the constellation Orion, which can be seen rising towards the bottom-centre of the image, while radiant Mars retains its brilliance as the foremost celestial beacon in the scene, all before the moonrise takes over.

Also see image in Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10359628

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