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The Fastest Meteorite-Dropping Geminid Ever Observed

On the cold early morning of 13 December 2012, the sky above Central Europe witnessed something extraordinary. A brilliant Geminid fireball tore through Earth’s atmosphere and did something scientists believed was almost impossible for such a fast meteor: it went extremely deep and may have dropped a tiny meteorite on the ground.

This rare event was recorded with exceptional precision by the Czech stations of the European Fireball Network (EN). More than a decade later, researchers Jiří Spurný and Petr Borovička published a detailed analysis of this fireball, officially named EN131212_041259. Their study shows that this single Geminid is unique among all Geminids ever observed.

In simple words, this fireball proved that even very fast meteors can sometimes survive the atmosphere, if conditions are just right.

Why Geminids Are Usually “Too Fast to Survive”

The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most reliable and beautiful meteor showers of the year. Every December, it lights up the sky with bright, white streaks.

But Geminids have a big problem when it comes to survival:

  • They enter Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed

  • Typical entry velocity: ~36 km per second

  • At such speeds, meteoroids usually burn up completely

Because of this, Geminids were long believed to never produce meteorites. Unlike slower meteors, they face enormous heat and pressure that should destroy them long before they reach low altitudes.

That is why the 2012 event shocked scientists.

A Fireball That Broke All Records

The Geminid fireball EN131212_041259 was observed at 04:12:59.4 UT and immediately stood out.

Here is what made it exceptional:

  • Entry speed: 35.75 km/s

  • Initial mass: ~0.25 kg (250 grams)

  • Terminal height: 32.5 km

  • Terminal speed: 6.8 km/s

For comparison, most Geminids stop glowing around 38 km altitude. This fireball went almost 6 km deeper than any other known Geminid.

No other Geminid recorded by:

  • the European Fireball Network (EN),

  • the Prairie Fireball Network (PN, USA),

  • or the Canadian MORP Network

has ever penetrated so deeply with such reliable data.

Slowing Down Against All Odds

During its flight, the meteoroid experienced extreme deceleration:

  • From 35.75 km/s

  • Down to 6.8 km/s

This is remarkable. Such a low end speed is typical of meteorite-dropping fireballs, but those usually start much slower.

Despite this violent slowdown, the meteoroid did not completely disintegrate.

Did a Geminid Meteorite Really Fall?

Based on advanced fragmentation modeling, the researchers concluded:

  • At least one fragment likely survived

  • Estimated surviving mass: 3–5 grams

If confirmed, this would make it:

  • The fastest meteorite-dropping event ever observed

  • The strongest evidence so far that Geminids can produce meteorites

However, only very small (gram-sized) meteorites can survive. Larger pieces would face dynamic pressures they simply cannot withstand.

Extreme Strength Under Extreme Pressure

This meteoroid was not fragile dust. It showed exceptional mechanical strength:

  • Maximum dynamic pressure: ~1.9 MPa

  • This value is comparable to many confirmed meteorite falls

Among all recorded Geminids, this one ranks as the strongest ever measured.

Other strong Geminids reach pressures between 1.2 and 1.8 MPa, but none penetrated as deeply as this one.

This confirms earlier modeling studies showing that medium-sized Geminids (20–200 g) are the most compact and solid.

Breaking the “38 km Barrier”

By analyzing Geminids over five orders of magnitude in mass, scientists found:

  • Small Geminids (0.1–10 g):
    Heavier ones penetrate deeper — expected behavior.

  • Large Geminids (10 g–1 kg):
    Terminal height stays around 38 km, no matter how heavy they are.

This was thought to be a hard limit.

EN131212_041259 shattered that rule by reaching 32.5 km, proving that rare exceptions exist.

The study also clearly showed that a previously reported Geminid terminal height of 24.8 km (from a 2013 Spanish observation) is not reliable.

Strange Light: Flickering and Sparking

Another fascinating feature was the fireball’s light curve.

Scientists observed two unusual effects:

  1. Flickering (20–70 Hz):

    • Regular brightness oscillations

    • Seen in the first third of the flight

    • Common in Geminids, but still unexplained

  2. Millisecond flashes (“sparking”):

    • Appeared later in the flight

    • Extremely rapid bursts of light

    • First described in earlier studies, still a mystery

Even today, no complete physical explanation exists for these phenomena.

What This Means for Asteroid Phaethon

Geminids are linked to the parent body 3200 Phaethon, an unusual asteroid-like object.

If a Geminid meteorite were ever recovered, it would allow scientists to:

  • Directly study material from Phaethon

  • Understand how rocky bodies behave at extreme speeds

  • Learn why Geminids are both strong and fragile

Such a sample would be scientifically priceless.

Geminids vs Taurids: A Big Difference

The study also highlights a key contrast:

  • Geminids:

    • No bodies larger than ~1 kg

    • Highly compact but limited in size

  • Taurids:

    • Proven objects thousands of times more massive

This shows that not all meteor showers are built the same.

Why This Study Matters

The main goal of this work was simple but powerful:

  • To document one extraordinary Geminid fireball

  • Using the best-quality data ever obtained

Thanks to a 13-year gap, scientists could compare it with a huge modern dataset — and prove beyond doubt that this Geminid was truly unique.

Final Takeaway

The Geminid fireball EN131212_041259 changed our understanding of what is possible in meteor physics.

It shows that:

  • Meteorite survival from Geminids is extremely rare, but possible

  • Even very fast fireballs can drop meteorites under special conditions

  • Only small, strong fragments can survive such violent entry

This single fireball stands as the strongest evidence ever recorded that a piece of the Geminid stream — born from asteroid Phaethon — may have briefly touched Earth.

Sometimes, one event is enough to rewrite the rules of science.

Reference: Pavel Spurný, Jiří Borovička, "Deepest ever photographed Geminid with small but not negligible terminal mass", Arxiv, 2026. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16396


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