Geminid meteor shower seen in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong province on December 14, 2015. Every year, the Geminid meteor shower would punctually light up the sky in December, and this year the peak of the visual feast falls on the evening of December 14, Beijing time. Fortunately, the chilly winds had driven away smog; people in Northern China braved the cold to observe the annual celestial event. The shower is the result of a small rocky object, called 3200 Phaethon, that leaves a trail of detritus behind it as it swings in an odd orbit around the sun. When Earth passes through that rocky trail, the debris hits our atmosphere — and we see a multitude of meteors. (Photo/CFP)
