December’s stunning Geminid meteor shower is born from a humble asteroid

How does a space rock make such an impressive display of shooting stars?

Geminid meteor shower

The Geminid meteor shower produces a vivid display of shooting stars every December, but unlike most meteor showers, the show is from an asteroid, not a comet.

Jeff Dai

On Sunday night, December 13, countless meteors will shoot across the sky as space particles burn up in our atmosphere and meet a fiery end.