In 1983, a satellite named IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) discovered a strange, dark object orbiting the Sun. The object, which was given the name 3200 Phaethon, turned out to be an asteroid. 3200 Phaethon is a mysterious object, and astronomers are not quite sure whether it is an asteroid at all! Instead, it may be the burned out, skeletal remains of an extinct comet. 3200 Phaethon appears to be the source of the meteoroids that flash through Earth's sky each year in mid December as the Geminid meteor shower.
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