Tag: meteors

Technology

Geminids meteor shower peaks this week under dark skies

 The year's best meteor shower, the Geminids, peaks this week. Skygazers may see as many as one or even two a minute streaking across dark skies.The meteors will reach their frenzy Thursday. But Wednesday night should provide a cosmic spectacle as well. The moon is waning so that will make for prime viewing anywhere in the world where skies are clear and in spots without light pollution. NASA urged observers to look everywhere in the sky since meteors don't come from any particular direction. Between 60 and 120 meteors are expected every hour at peak time, weather permitting.NASA meteoroid expert Bill Cooke said he loves that the Geminids have a greenish hue as they speed across the sky and burn up. Most meteors appear to be colorless or white depending on their chemical makeup. Green ...
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Shocking find by NASA Parker Solar Probe; Lightning on Venus may be meteors crashing

NASA is running various space missions to find out the secrets of the universe. One of the major missions of the space agency is the Parker Solar probe. The spacecraft has been tasked with orbiting the Sun to find out crucial data around sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and solar storms. However, in its journey, it routinely flies past Venus. And this has allowed Parker Solar Probe to possibly find the reason behind one of the biggest phenomena that has confused scientists for years. It found that the lightning on Venus may not actually be lightning at all. In fact, they are likely to be meteors that are striking the planet and are burning up in its atmosphere.Venus lightning stormsThe revelation came in 2021 when the Parker Solar Probe executed a routine flyby of ...
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Devil comet heading towards Earth! Grows huge horns

A rare and peculiar event in the cosmos has captured the attention of astronomers! Last year's famous green comet has given way to another fascinating space object. Recently, researchers have discovered a strange comet that seems to have grown horns. Yes, the comet has grown devil like horns. If that confuses you, don't worry. It doesn't really have horns, but its telescopic images caught by the spacecrafts give an illusion that it does have them! So, what exactly are these devil horns? Scientists have an answer for this.About the cometThe recently found comet is known 12P/Pons-Brooks (12P) comet. It stands out as a cryovolcanic, or cold volcano, comet. Comets, including 12P, consist of a solid nucleus containing a mixture of ice, dust, and gas. What sets 12P apart from most other come...
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Awesome green meteor streaks across the night sky in the US

Have you ever seen a green meteor? How amazing would that be? Well, you can watch one now. A brilliant green meteor streaking through the night sky captivated the attention of many across Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi in the United States. The sight of meteors never fails to inspire awe, and this one was no exception.What are Meteors?Meteors are composed of metals like iron and nickel, and when they burn up while entering the Earth's atmosphere, they emit a striking color. However, if a meteor manages to survive the journey and reaches the ground, it earns the name "meteorite." Astronomers and researchers indicated that this green meteor could be a part of a comet or asteroid that entered Earth's atmosphere. The ignition and cause of the vivid green color could have appeared becaus...
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The enigma behind the Geminid Meteor shower unravelled

Recent findings have shed light on the mysterious origins of the annual Geminid meteor shower. In a NASA blog post on June 14, 2023, Desiree Apodaca from the Goddard Space Flight Center revealed intriguing insights suggesting that a high-speed collision or a gaseous explosion could be responsible for creating the Geminid meteor stream.Unlike other meteor showers such as the Delta Aquariids or the Perseids, which are caused by debris from icy comets orbiting the sun, the Geminid meteors have a different source.For several decades, scientists have known that the parent body of the Geminids is not a fragile comet but a solid asteroid named 3200 Phaethon, as EarthSky reported. The behavior of Phaethon is peculiar. While most asteroids do not exhibit such characteristics, Phaethon, as it pa...
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Origin of Geminids meteor shower revealed! NASA Parker Solar Probe unearths BIG mystery

The Geminids meteor shower is one of the most spectacular meteor showers that occurs annually. For the unaware, meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from asteroids. While asteroids can be found in space in their own orbits, they leave behind debris trails consisting of meteors. As Earth revolves around the Sun, it passes through these clouds which allows the rocky bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky. Although it has been known that the Geminids originate from the 3200 Phaethon asteroid, NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission has shed new light on the unusual origin of this meteor shower.What are Geminids?The meteor shower is termed the Geminid Meteor Shower because the meteors appear to originate from the...
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RARE Gujarat meteor set to reveal planetary secrets

Last year, some fragments of a rare meteorite crashed in India. According to researchers, a meteorite that landed in Gujarat has been identified as a rare aubrite originating from a highly reduced and differentiated parent body within our solar system. What is particularly intriguing to them is that this uncommon element exhibits distinctive features of the highly reducing conditions present on the surface of Mercury. This finding could be crucial for gaining knowledge of secrets of planetary processes.On August 17, 2022, fragments of a meteorite fell onto the agricultural land in the villages of Rantila and Ravel in the Diyodar taluka of Banaskantha district, Gujarat. Referred to as the Diyodar meteorite, researchers noted that the crash did not produce any visible trail but caused a...
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Space junk, not meteorites, remains biggest threat to spacecraft

Russian announced on Wednesday a February mission to the International Space Station to pick up crew members left stranded after a strike damaged the capsule that was to take them home. Dodging the kind of meteorite strike that forced Russia to plan a space station rescue mission is nearly impossible, yet the greater threat to spacecraft is actually the man-made debris in orbit, experts say.Russian announced on Wednesday a February mission to the International Space Station to pick up crew members left stranded after a strike damaged the capsule that was to take them home. Didier Schmitt, the European Space Agency's head of human and robotic exploration, said it was not rare for tiny meteorites to hit the space station. The micrometeorites can be travelling at speeds from 10 to 30 ki...
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 16 December 2022: Geminids Meteor Shower light up the sky

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 16 December 2022: Geminids were seen streaking across the night sky on December 13. NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 16 December 2022: The Geminids Meteor Shower was a sight to behold. When the meteors struck across the sky on the night of December 13, the view was spectacular. In case you didn't know, when meteor material falls on Earth, most of it burns up while entering the atmosphere, leaving behind trails of shooting stars. According to NASA, this phenomenon is known as a Meteor Shower. Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on any given night. When there are many meteors, it might mean that you're witnessing a meteor shower. During the recent shower, the Geminids were captured streaking across the sky by astronomers around the world.Toda...
Technology

Geminids Meteor Shower 2022: Watch spectacular meteors grace the sky

Geminids meteor shower was one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, which lit up the sky on December 13. The Geminid was one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, lighting up the sky on the night of December 13. If the weather conditions are ideal, the showers produce up to 100-150 meteors per hour. However, people could not properly witness the stunning phenomenon this year as the conditions were far from perfect. A gibbous moon and harsh weather conditions played a spoilsport during the time of the meteor shower. According to NASA, only 30-40 meteors per hour could be seen in the Northern Hemisphere.What are the Geminids?It is termed as the Geminid Meteor Shower as the meteors appear to originate from the constellation Gemini. According to Bill Cooke, l...