Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2025 December 18 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Jupiter and the Meteors from Gemini Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]David Cruz Explanation: [5]Jupiter, the Solar System's ruling gas giant, is the brightest celestial beacon at the center of this [6]composite night skyscape. The scene was constructed by selecting the 40 exposures containing meteors from about 500 exposures made on the nights of December 13 and 14, near peak activity for this year's annual [7]Geminid meteor shower. With each selected exposure registered in the night sky above Alentejo, Portugal, planet Earth, it does look like the [8]meteors are streaming away from Jupiter. But the apparent radiant of the Geminid meteors is actually closer to bright star Castor, in the shower's eponymous constellation Gemini. In this frame that's just a little above and left of the Solar System's most massive planet. Still, the [9]parent body of Geminid meteors is known to be rocky, [10]near-Earth asteroid [11]3200 Phaethon. And the orbit of [12]Phaethon itself is influenced by the gravitational attraction exerted by massive Jupiter, [13]in concert with planets of the inner Solar System. Tomorrow's picture: cathedrals on the moon __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices; A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC, [36]NASA Science Activation & [37]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2512/GeminidsJupiterCruz.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.instagram.com/astro.midnight/ 5. https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/ 6. https://www.instagram.com/astro.midnight/p/DSU2kD8ilU3/ 7. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-geminid-meteor-shower/ 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251215.html 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241212.html 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DESTINY+ 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon 12. https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids-comet-like-tail-is-not-made-of-dust-solar-observatories-reveal/ 13. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019SoSyR..53..215G/abstract 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251217.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.com/feed.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251218 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251219.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/ 35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 37. http://www.mtu.edu/