The orbit is between the Sun and the inner main belt. It has a perihelion of 0.14 AU and an aphelion of 2.40 AU. The semimajor axis is at 1.27 AU. It has an orbital period of 1 year and 157 days. It has an inclination of 22.2º (semioctile, 0º18' orb). It has a diámeter of about 5.1 km.
In the year 2010, Phaethon was detected ejecting dust.
(3200) Phaeton is the asteroid that generates the meteor shower known as the Geminids, from the day 7 to 17 December, with its peak activity the day 14 December of each year. The Geminids were observed for the first time in 1862.
Orbital resonance:
7:10 with Earth-Moon (99.9%)
3:7 with Venus (99.6%)
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7:2 with Psyche (99.8%)
3:1 with Eunomia (99.8%)
Greek mythology
To cope with jokes of his friends, who doubted that he was the son of a god, Phaethon asked his father, Helios, to lead the chariot of the Sun for a whole day. Although Helios tried to dissuade him, finally agreed. After cover him with sun protection oil, he indicated the exact way that he had to follow the carriage. But Phaethon was too impatient to hear nothing. The young man left with the carriage and right away the horses rampaged in the direction of the Earth, with Phaethon unable to straighten out the car.
Before the Earth catched fire, the gods acted quickly strucking at Phaethon, whose body fall engulfed in flames. And they cooled the heat coming off the chariot by a heavy downpour. This was how the Nubian desert, which had been a fertile region, was scorched by the rays of the Sun.
(3200) Phaeton is related to activities that restore the physiological balance of the body after moments of exceptional circumstances, such as intense or prolonged physical exercise, or many hours without eating, drinking or sleeping.
