A shooting star in the Geminid meteor shower over Mount Fuji is seen from the shore of Lake Shoji in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Dec. 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Koichiro Tezuka)

       FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO, Yamanashi -- The annual Geminid meteor shower has reached its peak this year, and bright shooting stars were observed frequently from along the shores of a lake in this central Japan town from the night of Dec. 13 to the early morning of Dec. 14, despite the occasional cloud.

       People who were watching and taking pictures by Lake Shoji in the Yamanashi Prefecture town of Fujikawaguchiko at the foot of Mount Fuji cheered at the spectacle.

       The dust that forms the basis of the Geminid meteor shower, which appears steadily every year and is one of the three major meteor showers, is believed to have originated from Phaethon, an asteroid that orbits the sun in a 1.43-year cycle.

       Compared to the Perseid meteor shower seen in summer, the shooting stars in the Geminids appear to be moving more slowly. The stars fall in all directions around Gemini, but they can also appear far from the constellation, so you can observe them no matter which direction you are facing.

       According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, this year's Geminids will reach its peak at around 4 p.m. on Dec. 14. Although no stars will be seen at that time, more shooting stars than usual will be observable from the night of Dec. 14 to the early morning of Dec. 15.

       (Japanese original by Koichiro Tezuka, Photo Group)

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