Thursday, June 11. 2020When and where to watch meteor showers?
People living in the Northern Hemisphere are in the best position to observe these beautiful meteor shows. For example, north America is right below the region of the sky where the January Quadrantids shower appears. Meteor showers can be seen at different times of the year depending on when Earth is going to pass through the comet’s or asteroid’s path. Some meteor showers happen annually; other appear once in a few years. Some of the best shows – meteor storms – happen just once or twice in a lifetime. The best time to watch them is the pre-dawn hours, when the part of Earth you are standing on is facing the direction of Earth’s orbit. In the late evening hours the meteors are less frequent. What can go wrong? A bright moon can dim the light of the meteor show, fading out all but the brightest meteors. Local light pollution can affect our ability to view a shower. To view a meteor shower in all its glory, go to a rural location. Weather can also play spoilsport for a good view of meteor showers. A clear sky is what we need, which is why meteor showers during the summer are more visible than those that happen in the winter months.
Picture Credit : Google Thursday, June 11. 2020Which are the popular meteor showers?
Meteor showers are named for the constellation from where they appear to emerge. For example, the Orionids meteor shower, which occurs in October every year, appears to be originating near the constellation Orion the Hunter, Perseid meteors seem to be coming from the Perseus constellation. In some years you see more meteor showers than in others, depending on atmospheric conditions. Astronomers sometimes find new meteor showers, like the Camelppardalis in 2014. The shower happened after the debris trail of Comet 209P/LINEAR intersected with Earth. Most meteors become visible when they come within 60 miles (96.5 km) of the Earth. On average, meteors can speed through the atmosphere at about 30,000 mph (48,280 kph) and reach temperatures of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,648 degrees Celsius). Let’s look at the popular meteor showers. Leonids The Leonids meteor shower is the brightest and most impressive one. It can produce a meteor storm that showers the sky with thousands of meteors per minute at its peak. In fact, the term “meteor shower” was copied after astronomers observed one of Leonids’ most impressive displays in 1833. The Leonids occur every November, but the shower’s most beautiful display happens at intervals of about 33 years. The last one lit up the Earth’s sky in 2002. A Leonid shower is not expected until 2028. Perseids Perseid may have been introduced into English from Italian Perseidi, coined by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910). Perseid ultimately comes from Greek Perseids “offspring or daughters of Perseus,” because the meteors looks like they are coming from the constellation Perseus. Perseid entered the English language in the 19th century. The Perseid meteor shower is from the comet Swift-Tuttle and happens in August. It is the most widely watched meteor shower of the year, peaking on 12 August with more than 60 meteors per minute. Orionids The Orionid meteor shower produces meteors from Halley’s comet, which orbits the sun every 75 to 76 years. The Orionid shower happens every October and can last for a week. It is a show of 50 to 70 shooting stars per hour at its peak. Quadrantids The Quadrantid meteor shower comes from the debris of an asteroid called 2003 EHI1. Astronomers believe this is part of a comet that broke apart centuries ago. The debris enters Earth’s atmosphere in early January. This meteor show is brief but spectacular. Geminids Like the Quadrantids, the Geminid meteor shower also came from dust particles of an asteroid called 3200 Phaeton. As the name suggests, the shower emerges from Gemini constellation. Meteor showers are mostly from comets, so having an asteroid as a parent make the Quadrantids and Geminids different from other meteor shows. The Geminids happen in December and spray up to 40 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquarids The Eta Aquarids is made up of the remnants of Halley’s coment. The show happens in May. Lyrids Lyrids, which has been written about for more than 2000 years, appears in late April.
Picture Credit : Google Wednesday, June 10. 2020How does meteor originate?
A meteor shower is a celestial show that you get for free – no tickets, no telescopes, no binoculars. You don’t have to travel to a high mountain to view it. All you have to enjoy this show is a dark night. Just get up in the middle of the night, go to the backyard and find a perfect spot to watch it. Let’s see what a meteor shower is. A meteoroid is a piece of debris – the size of a pebble – which travels in outer space. Large meteoroids are believed to come from the asteroid belt. Some of the smaller meteoroids may have come from the Moon or Mars. If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s called a meteor, or shooting star. If part of that meteor travels through the atmosphere and hits the Earth, it’s a meteorite. A lot of meteorites never end up being meteors or meteorites. When the meteor (or a meteoroid) falls toward the Earth, the resistance (or drag) from the Earth’s atmosphere makes it extremely hot. The hot air around the rock glows as the rock zips through the atmosphere. When Earth comes across many meteoroids at once, we call it a meteor shower. According to SPACE.com, meteor showers occur when dust or particles from asteroids or comets enter Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed. When they hit the atmosphere, meteors rub against air particles and create friction. The heat vaporises most meteors, making them into shooting stars. We see meteor showers when the Earth rushes through the trail of particles left behind by a comet or asteroid. Meteor showers may appear anywhere in the sky, but their “tails” usually point to the same spot in the sky. That’s because all the meteors travel to Earth at the same angle. When they are close to Earth, they look like they are getting away from one another. This is just an optical illusion.
Picture Credit : Google |
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