Meteor Showers

A Comet - Credit: NASA

A meteor shower happens when a cluster of meteoroids orbiting the Sun cross the path of the Earth’s orbit. The meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a similar time each year. Their path is also roughly the same; therefore they seem to radiate from a certain spot in the sky. So where do the meteoroids come from that cause meteor showers? Typically, comets that also orbit our Sun will have a trail of debris following them. This trail of debris is filled with meteoroids. A meteoroid is a small, stony or metallic object. Meteoroids are made up of materials similar to asteroids, but are much smaller. Asteroids and meteoroids are generally made up of minerals such as quartz or ferrous metals like iron and/or nickel. They can be as small as a grain of sand or dust particle or as large as the size of large boulders.

Let’s use the Perseids Meteor Shower as an example. The Perseids gets their name from the constellation Perseus because of the fact that they seem to stem from a point near that constellation. Debris in orbit around our Sun following a trail from the Swift-Tuttle comet causes the Perseids Meteor Shower.

So try to imagine a comet as a racecar passing you by on a circular track, the dust following the racecar is the meteoroids and you are the Earth. If you pass into the trail of the dust you will be hit by the particles, however if you are not in the path of the dust particles they will still follow the racecar around the track. Just remember in space there is no air resistance so these dust particles will have an easier time remaining in an orbit around our Sun because of gravity from the comet and other objects.

There is very little meteor shower activity from now until April so I will be posting more meteor facts to keep you interested until the next meteor shower comes into a town near you!

Keep your head up.

- Meteor Mark

Minor Meteor Shower

The next meteor shower, the α-Centaurids, has started. The Alpha Centaurids is a minor meteor shower with usually very little activity. This meteor shower will peak on February 8th and will remain active until February February 21st.  Although this shower is considered consistent, it doesn’t produce amazing meteor displays. Meteor gazers can expect about five meteors per hour during the peak date.

Because during the first quarter of the year there is a lack of strong meteor showers until April it’s a good time to browse around this blog and get acquainted with all of the meteor showers of last year. Meteor showers occur during the same months each year, you will find old blog posts about other meteor showers that will help you know when the meteor showers are coming this year. I will be posting new information and meteor facts, so in the meantime, bookmark the site, join the mailing list and keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark

Norma Constellation

I missed the Quadrantids Meteor Shower due to extreme cold and snowfall. It is always one of my favorite meteor showers of the year. Sadly, during January through March meteor activity practically drops to nothing. A few minor meteor showers will occur between now and April when the Lyrids come back into town.

The α-Centaurids start January 28th and will peak in early February. This is usually a minimal event but this year there is a possibility that a waning crescent moon will help viewers see a few more meteors. Another meteor shower, the γ-Normids will start in late February, both the α-Centaurids and the γ-Normids usually produce about 6 meteors per hour, but this year there is a minute possibility of up to 25 meteors per hour for the α-Centaurids during their peak on February 8th.

You may be wondering about the title of this blog. The reference to the Centaur is obvious, but what about the other? Norma is a small constellation that represents a carpenter’s square.  All meteor showers are named after their radiant. The radiant is the point in the sky where meteors seem to originate from. I will be making a few blog posts between now and April so please bookmark the site and join the mailing list to receive monthly information that will make you aware of all the best monthly meteor showers.

Keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark

The next meteor shower is the January 2010 Quadrantids. Last year I was amazed by how active this meteor shower was. The Quadrantids can produce up to 120 meteors per hour and meteors appear bluish-white.  When observing the Quadrantids they seem to flicker as they streak across the sky at a startling speed of about 41 kilometers per second (or 92,000 mph).  Their activity almost seems jolly when they pop into view as if to say, “look here!” and then they quickly disappear.  This meteor shower began on December 28th and will continue to be active until January 12th.

Where to Look

(Bootes is Near the Big Dipper)

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower has a very short and focused peak that will occur in the morning hours of January 3rd.  As with most meteor showers they are best viewed in the morning hours before dawn and get their name from their radiant.  The radiant, an area where the meteors will appear to originate from is the constellation Bootes that was originally named Quadrans Muralis.  Quadrans Muralis was not added to the new list of eighty-eight modern constellations.  The name was changed in 1922 to Bootes but the name of the meteor shower, the Quadrantids, remained the same.

The Quadrantids are an interesting meteor shower for two reasons.  The first because most meteor showers are associated with a parent comet and second get their name or radiant from the constellation where they seem to originate. The parent body of the Quadrantids is a near-earth asteroid named 2003 EH1 and their radiant constellation name is Bootes. Some may argue that this shower’s parent is a piece of the comet C/1490 Y1 that fell apart almost 500 years ago. Until 2003 their origin was virtually unknown until scientists crunched a mathematical equation that turned their attention to the presumed source the asteroid 2003 EH1.

Last year this meteor shower was one of the more appealing meteor showers that I viewed but it only lasted for a short period of time and it was extremely cold in the morning when I observed. This year I hope it will deliver similar meteor activity but warmer temperatures . I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.  If you would like to take a look at this meteor shower, I suggest finding a safe, dark area and locate the constellation Bootes in the morning of January 3rd.  Unfortunately, this year the Quadrantids may be battling a waning gibbous Moon with 88% of the visible disk illuminated which usually means one will see fewer meteors.  However if this shower is half as strong as it was last year, it is certainly worth a look.  Last year I witnessed about 1 to 3 meteors a minute or about 80 to 120 an hour.  I make no guarantee that it will be this strong, as this year’s conditions are much different but, you will only know if you take a look.  Your questions and comments are welcome.

If you enjoyed my blog and found this information useful, why not buy me a cup of coffee? I can use them during the morning on January 3rd while watching the Quadrantids!

Keep your head up.

- Meteor Mark
Meteor Shower January 2010