Write-up on Gemenids Meteor Shower.

Original Post by Helen Avery

  

 The Geminids meteor shower is caused by an asteroid called 32 hundred Phaethon, and Phaethon has a legend all of his own — the most detailed of which was written by the Roman poet Ovid, in the epic Metamorphoses, in 8 AD.

 The beautiful, but tragic, story goes that Phaethon’s mother reveals to him that he is, in fact, the son of Phoebus — the God of the Sun — and disbelieving the story, Phaethon goes to Phoebus to ask him if it’s true. Phoebus tells his son that he is correct, and in order to prove his divine lineage he will grant Phaethon any wish he desires…

 Now Phoebus is the God of the Sun and to the Romans, the sun was a blazing chariot  that was pulled across the sky by horses, and guided and driven by Phoebus… So what do you think Phaethon wished for? To drive the chariot for one day.

 Despite knowing this is a terrible idea because the chariot requires incredible skill and stamina to control, Phoebus stands by his promise, and reluctantly gives his son strict instructions on how to drive the chariot, telling him never to drop the reins… 

 But as soon as Phaethon sets off, the horses, sensing a different reins-man, begin to run wild, and Phaethon is his panic lets go of the reins… What happens next according to Ovid is both beautiful and tragic. The horses zoom up into sky, around the heavens, swooshing past the Moon who can’t believe what she’s seeing, before flying down so close to Earth that meadows are consumed and scorched, cities go up in flames, and nations are reduced to ashes. The whole of Earth is on fire.

Unable to stand the heat any longer, the Earth pleads with Jupiter to intervene. And Jupiter launches a lightning bolt at the charioteer, Phaethon, killing him in an instant, and bringing an end to the destruction.  And as the body of Phaethon is hurled from the chariot, it hurtles headfirst through the air leaving a trail of sparks behind it that appear to fall down to Earth like stars — or indeed the Geminids…