Meteor showers are one of the most dazzling events in the universe that we can see in the night sky without the need for equipment such as telescopes or binoculars. A meteor is a space rock that enters our planet’s atmosphere. As this rock approaches Earth, the drag — or drag — of the air makes it extremely hot and throws out the light. The bright streak isn’t really the rock though, rather it’s the glowing hot air around it. Earth regularly plows through dust and debris left behind by comets and asteroids as it orbits the sun. That debris causes meteor showers.
Most meteor showers are predictable and occur when our planet traverses a certain area filled with debris. Skygazers have a chance to spot another meteor shower, likely to happen in the coming week. This little storm, called the Tau Herculids, will fall from the shattered SW3 comet beginning May 30. The “shooting stars” event will peak on May 31. It will be shown in the US and parts of Canada.
Some reports have described it as “the most powerful meteor storm in generations,” but astronomers are more cautious about calling it that. Comet SW3 (73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3) was first seen in 1930. And in 1995 it unexpectedly brightened and shattered, releasing massive amounts of dust, gas and debris. The comet revolves around the Sun every 5.4 years and has made several close flybys to the Soil but was not visible most of these times. Over the years, this comet has fragmented further.
Next week, Earth will cross SW3’s orbit, and a detailed analysis of its path suggests debris may have spread along the comet’s orbit. The pieces of debris are so small that we can’t tell if they have spread far enough to meet Earth, until we come across them, a report said.
The American Meteor Society (AMS) has insured us that the comet itself won’t be anywhere near Earth, but debris from the 1995 event could light up our skies with meteors.
Whatever happens, astronomers are keenly looking forward to this event to develop their understanding of comets and how they fragment.
