Tag: Meteor

Meteors

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If it’s clear tonight you might catch the end of the gemini meteor shower! There might be up to 100 meteors (shooting stars) an hour. They are grains of dust the size of a grain of sand burning up in the atmosphere. Bigger pieces can appear as fireballs. They are the remains of dust particles from a comet or asteroid. The Geminids are named after the sign of the zodiac they seem to come from. Gemini (the stars are castor and pollux). Bigger pieces that land are known as meteorites and can be worth a lot of money.

From Google :

Meteor showers tend to be associated with a particular space body; in the case of the Geminids, the source is an asteroid or space rock known as 3200 Phaethon. Every December, Earth runs into the stream of debris the asteroid leaves behind, bringing a new wave of crumbs into our atmosphere that shine as shooting stars.

So if you look out tonight I hope you see the shooting stars x

Perseid meteor shower

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The Perseid meteor shower is due tonight. According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, it is visible between 17 July and 24 August 2023.

How to see the Perseid meteor shower

What is the Perseid meteor shower, when does it happen and how can I see it in 2023?

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The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most dramatic things to see in the night sky between July and August.

In 2023 the Perseid meteor shower is active between 17 July and 24 August. The shower will peak 12-13 August.

I went to:

http://rmg.co.uk

to find out this information.

Meteor showers are caused by dust and debris from old comets or broken up asteroids, or other rocks or metallic pieces that are within earth’s orbit.

A comet might leave dust as it passes through the solar system. As the Earth orbits the Sun it can pass through the cloud of dust from a comet and burn up in our atmosphere, the burning pieces are what we see as shooting stars or meteors. If one falls to Earth it is classed as a meteorite.

Meteorites come in two types, carbonaceous (with carbon compounds) and metallic (with metals such as iron inside them). If you find one that has landed it can be worth a great deal of money.

Finally the meteor shower is named after the area or constellation in the sky they apparently come from. So the Perseid shower appears to emanate from the constellation Perseus. Others include the Orionids, Geminids, and other star groups. They happen throughout the year and astronomers can predict when they are due although not always the strength of the shower or storm. Tonight’s shower may have up to 100 shooting stars an hour. They usually start after local midnight… Good luck if you try to see them, I wish you clear skies.

Geminids

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We (the Earth) is heading towards a stream of bits of rock from a comet called 3200 Phaethon. This is what  causes the annual Geminid meteor shower. It is expect to peak on December the 13th and 14th. The night before is the full Moon. But the Geminids are bright and can have brilliant fireballs during the shower so they may be visible even through the moonlight. The main problem in the UK is that its often too cloudy to see things like meteor showers. I’ve often stood outside and looked for meteors, but seen nothing.on one occasion long ago we drove off into the night to see if we could get out from underneath the cloud. We drove from Stoke to Buxton and Macclesfield, but to no avail. Apparently they had a good show in Liverpool that night. But we missed it.

Meteor showers can appear at all times of the day, but are best viewed at night. As the Eath turns different bits of it can be pointing into the comet debris at different times of day. Generally they are more visible after local midnight, but one part of the world may see nothing and another part several meteors a minute. It can also be dependent on the width or narrowness of the dust stream.

Happy viewing, wrap up warm!