Throughout the history of mankind, meteor showers have been one of the interesting celestial events that thrill skywatchers. It can occur several times a year, with some streams occurring periodically.
What is a Meteor Shower?
A meteor shower refers to an event seen from the Earth's surface when several meteors flash across the sky within a short period, radiating from the same point.
Comets or asteroids leave behind dust particles or fragments known as meteoroids which revolve in interplanetary space around the Sun. Sometimes, a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere at very high speeds on parallel trajectories. As they travel across the atmosphere, these rocky objects rub against air particles, creating friction and heat. The heat vaporizes most of this debris, resulting in a bright trail of light across the sky. At this stage, the lump of rock is called a meteor or shooting star.
Meteors are often seen making a solitary fall to the surface of the Earth. In some cases, they occur in clusters of dozens or even hundreds of meteors. Since the meteoroids that generate a meteor shower all travel on a parallel path and at the same velocity, they appear to originate from a single point in the sky called the radiant.
While meteor showers can be predictable, they are not always easily observed by skywatchers on Earth. A good viewing can be ruined by clouds or by the timing of the rising and setting of their celestial coordinates. The moon can also affect the visibility of a meteor shower since a bright full moon outshines faint meteors while a new moon provides the ideal dark sky for night watchers.
Periodic Meteor Showers
Meteors can visit the Earth at any time of the year, but some meteor showers may co-occur every year. Humans have observed some of them for hundreds and thousands of years. By convention, regular meteor showers are named after the constellation where the radiant appears to be coming from.
The first annual meteor shower is called the Quadrantids, named after a constellation once called Quadrans Muralis. It occurs between the last week of December and January 12. This event peaks around January 2 and 4 and is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.
Shooting star hunters can observe the ancient Lyrids meteor shower in mid to late April. It occurs between April 16 and April 26 of every year and can be visible in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The stream is caused by space dust left by Comet Thatcher C/1861 G1, which appears near the constellation Lyra.
The following periodic meteor shower occurs between late April and mid-May, peaking around May 5 to 6. The Eta Aquarids rain down meteors that line up with the constellation Aquarius. This constellation is higher in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, although observers from the Northern Hemisphere can also enjoy a scarce display. This meteor shower results from the remnants of Halley's Comet as it travels into the depth of the Solar System.
There is also the Perseid meteor shower which occurs in mid-August, with the peak of its activity from August 11 to 13. It is associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, and its streaks come from the constellation Perseus.
The Draconid meteor shower comes from the constellation Draco the Dragon every October. Another event associated with Halley's Comet is the Orionid meteor shower named after the constellation Orion.
Finally, the Leonids meteor shower occurs during November, named after the constellation Leo and the Geminids and Ursids are observed every December, named after Gemini and Ursa Minor, respectively.
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