State Trooper Dashcam Captures Meteor From Geminid Shower
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With the Geminid meteor shower happening this week and visible in many parts of the state, the Minnesota State Patrol is sharing an image one of their troopers.
The patrol said that an officer caught what appears to be a meteor streaking across the sky while patrolling in Dakota County Wednesday morning.
They posted the video below to Twitter, with the meteor coming into view 21 seconds in.
One of our troopers appears to have caught on their dashcam a meteor streaking across the sky yesterday morning in Dakota County. The Geminid Meteor Shower is happening this week. It is usually the strongest meteor shower of the year. #GeminidMeteorShower pic.twitter.com/fDay3ZNd2T
— MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) December 17, 2020
The Geminids are a meteor shower that can be seen in the northern Hemisphere every December, with the intensity peaking generally around Dec. 14.
According to NASA, the Geminids originated from an asteroid or possible "rock comet." During peak activity, approximately 120 meteors per hour hurl through the sky, travelling 22 miles a second.