The length of Gemind meteors depend on the time of night in which you see them. Early in the evening the Geminid radiant lies low in the northeast. At the time of night it is impossible for Geminid meteors to penetrate deep within the atmosphere. Rather they just skim the upper portions of the atmosphere. Therefore they last much longer and create very long streaks across the sky. These meteors (regardless of shower) are often referred to as "earthgrazers". Later in the night the Geminid meteors strike the Earth at a more direct angle, creating shorter streaks in the sky. Even at this time of night a very bright Geminid can still last several seconds and streak many tens of degrees across the sky.
I hope this helps!
Bob Lunsford
American Meteor Society
Space/Science » in reply to Thank you for that...
re: Thank you for that...
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