Have you ever seen a shooting star and tried to make a wish but it was so quick that it disappeared? Don’t worry! Be ready to witness hundreds of shooting stars and make sure to make wishes this time. Meteor showers are truly mesmerizing and awe-inspiring celestial events. What makes them so captivating is not just their breathtaking visual display but also the fascinating blend of science and mythology surrounding them.
Meteoroids are the space rocks usually created by the debris of comets and asteroids, when comet passes near from sun some of its icy surface gets heated and produce rocky debris consisting of sand- sized particles in our solar system and when an asteroid collides with another object or is disintegrated by gravitational forces, it can break apart. This can result in smaller pieces of the asteroid, called meteoroids, being scattered throughout space.
As earth orbits the sun it encounters these debris at certain times each year and this results in Meteor Shower, a meteor shower occurs, where numerous meteors can be seen in a short period, evidently radiating from a point in the sky called the radiant.
When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere, they travel at high speeds, often tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. The friction with the air heats up the meteoroids rapidly, causing it to glow and produce a bright band of light, which we see as a meteor or “shooting star”.
Below, we explore five astonishing reasons that highlight why meteor showers are truly spectacular.
Meteor Showers In Early Ages
Meteors or shooting stars are visible on many clear, dark nights as fleeting streaks of light that typically last only a few seconds.
In the modern age, the initial significant meteor storm was the Leonids in November 1833. One calculation suggested a peak rate exceeding one hundred thousand meteors per hour, while another, conducted as the storm subsided, approximated more than two hundred thousand meteors throughout the 9-hour duration of the storm across the entire area of North America to the east of the Rocky Mountains.
In fact, the term “Meteor shower” was coined after astronomers observed Leonids meteor storm, a rare event where rates exceed roughly 1000 meteors per hour. unlike meteor showers which rates exceed between 10 to 100 per hour.
Following are the historical examples from ancient times which prompt us to ponder the spectacular events occurring in space for decades:
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- 687 BC March 23: “Stars fell like rain”
- 245 BC March 27: “Uncountable meteors went to the West”
- 12 BC May 24: “A fireball fell to the southeast and meteors fell”
- AD 36 July 17: “More than 100 stars fell”
- AD 585 September 23: “Hundreds of meteors fell”
Periodic Appearance of Meteor Showers in the Year
Meteor showers happen annually when Earth’s orbit intersects with particular comets at fixed points. When these comets release dust and debris into space, some of it settles along Earth’s orbit.
As Earth crosses this path, the particles enter our atmosphere, creating a meteor shower. The predictability of Earth’s orbit enables us to anticipate these events occurring simultaneously each year.
Even if a comet only passes by once and won’t return, it can still cause meteor showers. However, consistent meteor showers like the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December are caused by periodic comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and asteroid 3200 Phaethon respectively.
Halley’s Comet, the most famous periodic comet, orbits the Sun every 75⅓ years and was last seen in February 1986. It will next be closest to the Sun in 2061.
Every time a periodic comet swings by, it brings new dust along its journey, ensuring we can still enjoy spectacular meteor showers.
Rapid Streaks of “Shooting Stars”
Meteors, often called “shooting stars,” are little celestial objects made of rock or metal that enter Earth’s atmosphere from outer space. As they dive through the atmosphere, they experience air particles, creating friction and heat that makes them glow brightly, forming what we see as a meteor.
The speed at which meteors travel varies depending on variables such as their size, composition, and how they approach Earth’s atmosphere.
Most meteors streak across Earth’s mesosphere, located generally 50-80 kilometers (31-50 miles)over the planet’s surface. Indeed the most minor ones are effortlessly spotted from a few kilometers away due to their incredible speed and radiance.
The fastest meteors zoom along at a mind-boggling 71 kilometers (44 miles) per second. As they increase in size and speed, their shine intensifies and lasts longer. Whereas smaller meteors may only sparkle for a brief moment, bigger and faster ones can light up the sky for a few minutes.
For optimal viewing, capture these celestial firecrackers at night when they light up the dark region above.
“Celestial Holi” in the Night Sky
When a meteoroid, a small dust particle from space enters the earth’s atmosphere, It emits light which is off different colours.
These colours of a meteor depends on the chemical composition of the meteor and the air it is striking with. When it enters the earth’s atmosphere it travels at incredibly high speed, often exceeding tens of thousands of miles per hour.
This rapid movement generates tremendous friction between meteor and the air particles in the atmosphere, because of this the meteor gets heated up and when it gets heated, it begins to vapourize and disintegrate, creating a glimpse of a glowing trail of hot ionized gas behind it.
Ionization is a process in which an atom/molecule acquires a positive/negative charge by losing or gaining electrons. Because of the intense heat, meteors loose electrons turning them into charged particles known as ions. These ionized particles emit light as they recombine with electrons and return to their stable state.
The specific colors of light emitted depend on the type of gasses present in the Earth’s atmosphere and the elements contained within the meteoroid.
For example, ionized oxygen/nitrogen can produce red color, while ionized calcium can contribute to purple and violet hues. The combination of different gasses and elements in the meteoroid and the atmosphere can lead to a stunning display of colors during a meteor shower.
Diverse Nature of the Meteors
Meteors are characterized based on their dimensions, luminosity, and how close they are to Earth. Earthgrazer are the rare types of meteors that enter Earth’s atmosphere at a very shallow angle and are known for their long and colorful tails. They’re often spotted during major meteor showers like Leonids in November.
Some Earthgrazers miss out Earth’s upper atmosphere and head back into space, while others split from each other as they enter the atmosphere, to create dazzling shooting stars. Notable Earthgrazers include the “1972 Great Daylight Fireball” and the “Meteor Procession of July 20, 1860.”
One of the most famous earth grazers in history is the “1972 Great Daylight Fireball,” which lit up the skies over Utah, USA, zooming through at an astonishing speed of 15 km per second (nine miles per second).
Thousands of witnesses reported seeing this incredible meteor as it streaked across the atmosphere. Eventually, it exited the atmosphere above Alberta, Canada.
Fireballs, larger than typical meteors, come in sizes ranging from a basketball to a small car. They emit brighter and longer-lasting light than earth grazers, often shining brighter than magnitude -4, similar to the brightness of Venus.
Thus, the International Astronomical Union defines fireballs as meteors brighter than any planet. Bolides, even larger and brighter than fireballs, frequently burst into explosions upon entering the atmosphere.
These explosions can generate audible sounds and even vibrations on the Earth’s surface. Some experts classify bolides as fireballs that produce sonic booms while flying through the atmosphere.
Certain bolides, termed superbolides, shine so brightly and cause such immense explosions that they pose natural hazards, threatening people and communities. For instance, the superbolide meteor that crossed over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 exploded with an energy equivalent to around 500 kilotons of TNT.
Its shockwave shattered windows in thousands of buildings and resulted in over 1,200 people being hospitalized for injuries. The Chelyabinsk meteor was incredibly bright—30 times brighter than the sun at its peak intensity—leaving people with skin and retinal burns.
Scientists are analyzing the Chelyabinsk incident to gain insights into how susceptible human life is to space object impacts and to develop technologies that safeguard Earth from such events.
Prominent Meteor Showers and It’s Peak Activity During the Year
Meteor showers are spectacular celestial events that capture the imagination of stargazers around the world. Each year, several famous meteor showers grace the night sky, dazzling observers with their radiant displays of shooting stars. Following is the List of renowned meteor showers.
| Meteor Showers | Origin | Radiant | Peak Activity | Meteor Count/ Hour | Meteor Velocity/Second |
| Leonids | Comet: 55P/Tempel-Tuttle | Constellation Leo | Nov. 17-18 | 10 | 71 Km (44 miles) |
| Geminids | Asteroid: 3200 Phaethon | Constellation Gemini | Dec. 13-14 | 150 | 35 km (22 miles) |
| Quadrantids | Asteroid: 2003 EH1 | ConstellationQuadrant Murales ( Bootes) | Jan. 3-4 | 80 | 41 km (25.5 miles) |
| Lyrids | Comet:C/1861 G1 Thatcher | Constellation Lyra | April. 21-22 | 18 | 48 km (30 miles) |
| Eta Aquarids | Comet: 1P Halley | Constellation Aquarius | May. 4-5 | 50 | 66 km (44 miles) |
| Delta Aquarids | Comet 96P/Machholz | Constellation Aquarius | July. 29-30 | 10 | 41 km (25 miles) |
| Perseids | Comet 109P/Swift -Tuttle | Constellation Perseus | Aug. 11-13 | 100 | 59 km (37 miles) |
| Orionids | Comet 1P/Halley | Constellation Orion | Oct. 21-22 | 20 |
66 km (41 miles) |
These meteor showers occur annually, offering opportunities to witness shooting stars from different parts of the world. In India, all the mentioned meteor showers are visible, with optimal viewing experiences possible at recommended stargazing locations.
In July, the Delta Aquarids Meteor shower will be visible at a rate of 10 meteors per hour. If you miss this chance, don’t worry, experiencing 100 meteors per hour during the peak of the Perseids meteor shower on August 11-12 will be an amazing experience.
You can join us for the Perseids meteor shower viewing at Stargazing Mumbai by enrolling in our Astro Tour program at Spiti Valley.
Enjoyed reading this? Consider reading:- Supernova 101: A Star’s Dazzling Death & Stellar Rebirth
- The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
- Stellar Evolution: 4 Incredible Stages from Formation to Final Collapse
- Spiti Valley: A Paradise For Every Astrophile.
