“Meteor Shower Created by Halley's Comet Remnants - AOL News” plus 3 more |
- Meteor Shower Created by Halley's Comet Remnants - AOL News
- Meteor shower from Halley's Comet peaks, see it tonight! - Examiner
- Meteor Shower Created by Halley's Comet Remnants - AOL News
- Halley’s Comet Remnanats To Be Seen In Meteor Shower - Thaindian.com
| Meteor Shower Created by Halley's Comet Remnants - AOL News Posted: 06 May 2010 10:31 AM PDT (May 6) -- It's been 24 years since Halley's Comet last passed through the inner solar system, but remnants from the icy wanderer will light up the dawn sky this week in the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. The meteor shower peaked early this morning. Under ideal conditions (a dark, moonless sky) about 40 of these very swift meteors can be seen per hour. The shower appears at about one-quarter peak strength for about three or four days before and after May 6. The famous Halley's Comet takes roughly 76 years to circle the sun and last passed through our cosmic neighborhood in 1986. Halley's orbit closely approaches the Earth's orbit in two spots, offering two chances each year to see meteor showers left over from the comet's cosmic "litter." One point is in the middle to latter part of October, producing a meteor display known as the Orionids. The other point comes in the early part of May, producing the Eta Aquarids. When and Where to Watch There are, however, two drawbacks if you plan to watch for the Eta Aquarids meteors this year. First, there is the moon, which was at last quarter on the peak morning and will likely "muscle in" on the fainter meteor streaks by brightening the early morning sky. The other obstacle -- at least for those watching from north of the equator -- is that the radiant (the emanation point of these meteors) is at the "Water Jar" of the constellation Aquarius, which comes above the southeast horizon around 3 a.m. local time, never gets very high as seen from north temperate latitudes, so the actual observed rates are usually much lower than the oft-quoted 40 per hour. In North America, typical rates are 10 meteors per hour at 26 degrees north latitude, half this at 35 degrees latitude and practically zero north of 40 degrees. Conversely, those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, where Aquarius rises much higher into the sky, consider this to be one of the best meteor showers of the year. Catch an Earthgrazer For most, perhaps the best hope is catching a glimpse of a meteor emerging from the radiant that will skim the atmosphere horizontally -- much like a bug skimming the side window of an automobile. Meteor watchers call such shooting stars "Earthgrazers." They leave colorful, long-lasting trails. "These meteors are extremely long," said Robert Lunsford of the International Meteor Organization. "They tend to hug the horizon rather than shooting overhead where most cameras are aimed." "Earthgrazers are rarely numerous," cautions Bill Cooke, a member of the Space Environments team at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "But even if you only see a few, you're likely to remember them." Comet Crumbs If you do catch sight of one early these next few mornings, keep in mind that you'll likely be seeing the incandescent streak produced by material that originated from the nucleus of Halley's Comet. When these tiny bits of the comet collide with Earth, friction with our atmosphere raises them to white heat and produces the effect popularly referred to as "shooting stars." So it is that the shooting stars that we have come to call the Eta Aquarids are really an encounter with the traces of a famous visitor from the depths of space and from the dawn of creation. Images From Stunning Meteor Showers | Part 2 Wisconsin Farmer Discovers Fragment of Exploded Meteor Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Meteor shower from Halley's Comet peaks, see it tonight! - Examiner Posted: 06 May 2010 03:50 AM PDT If you want to see Halley's Comet itself, you'll have to wait until 2062. However, if you want to see cosmic leftovers from the famed comet, head out tonight! The Eta Aquarid meteor shower actually peaked this morning, but unfortunately, the Cleveland area was blanketed with cloud cover for most of the night which means no meteors. The good news is that the meteor shower is anything but finished as the meteors will continue streaking across the sky tonight and in the following nights. For more good news, things are looking to be mostly clear tonight. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is caused by the Earth racing through a trail of debris from Halley's Comet. As the Earth orbits the Sun, it passes through this trail of space junk every May, reaching the thickest stretch of debris on the morning of the 6th. However, Eta Aquarid meteors can be seen for a few nights before or after that date. The bright streaks of light are caused by small particles of debris hitting the Earth's atmosphere and burning up on entry. The shower gets its name because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, specifically a star known as Eta Aquarius. As for Halley's Comet itself, it is named for Edmond Halley, who was the first man to predict the comet's return after noticing that a large comet was seen every 76 years. The only thing that can ruin the show are clouds (like last night) and a bright Moon. The bad news is that the Moon is up and in the South, just the spot where the constellation of Aquarius is rising in the wee hours of the morning, around 4am. More bad news is that, at the time, Aquarius is very low in the South/Southeast sky, rising just a few hours before the Sun. In all, this makes for a narrow window of viewing opportunity. Besides meteors, once a year photo opportunities await. When it comes to photographing the shower, a digital SLR is a must. Having the camera compatible with a programmable remote makes shooting a meteor shower very easy. For a lens, the standard 18-xx kit lens will work fine, but an ultrawide starting in the 10/12mm range is even better. Focus the lens manually on a distant object first, then disable the autofocus. Next, set up the tripod, aim the camera at Aquarius, set the camera to a low ISO, and take timed exposures to see how long the photograph can go without star trailing caused by the stars rising in the sky. If the sky appears too bright, stop down the lens to let less light through to the sensor and test accordingly. Once the settings are good, you're ready to go. Using a programmable remote will allow you to do something else while the camera takes pictures should you not want to be out all night. The only thing that will need to be done manually is to go out from time to time and re-center the camera on Aquarius, as it will eventually move out of the field of view as it continues to rise in the sky. If you happen to own an equatorial telescope mount with a motor on the right ascension (polar) axis, attach the camera to this to keep Aquarius centered in the field for a truly push the button and forget it photo shoot. Without a programmable remote, you will undoubtedly have to stay out and tend the camera to keep it shooting. For anyone in the Lorain County area, the Black River Astronomical Society will be hosting a public star party (clear sky only) on Friday from 9-11pm, the Eta Aquarids will be the program theme as they should still be streaking through the sky even tomorrow night. Unfortunately, at this early hour, there probably won't be many meteors, though. The event will be held at the Lorain County Metroparks Equestrian Center on Nickel Plate Diagonal Rd. in Carlisle Township (detailed directions are on the group's website, see link above). The event is free and open to the public, so come on out! For more info: Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Meteor Shower Created by Halley's Comet Remnants - AOL News Posted: 06 May 2010 10:31 AM PDT (May 6) -- It's been 24 years since Halley's Comet last passed through the inner solar system, but remnants from the icy wanderer will light up the dawn sky this week in the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. The meteor shower peaked early this morning. Under ideal conditions (a dark, moonless sky) about 40 of these very swift meteors can be seen per hour. The shower appears at about one-quarter peak strength for about three or four days before and after May 6. The famous Halley's Comet takes roughly 76 years to circle the sun and last passed through our cosmic neighborhood in 1986. Halley's orbit closely approaches the Earth's orbit in two spots, offering two chances each year to see meteor showers left over from the comet's cosmic "litter." One point is in the middle to latter part of October, producing a meteor display known as the Orionids. The other point comes in the early part of May, producing the Eta Aquarids. When and Where to Watch There are, however, two drawbacks if you plan to watch for the Eta Aquarids meteors this year. First, there is the moon, which was at last quarter on the peak morning and will likely "muscle in" on the fainter meteor streaks by brightening the early morning sky. The other obstacle -- at least for those watching from north of the equator -- is that the radiant (the emanation point of these meteors) is at the "Water Jar" of the constellation Aquarius, which comes above the southeast horizon around 3 a.m. local time, never gets very high as seen from north temperate latitudes, so the actual observed rates are usually much lower than the oft-quoted 40 per hour. In North America, typical rates are 10 meteors per hour at 26 degrees north latitude, half this at 35 degrees latitude and practically zero north of 40 degrees. Conversely, those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, where Aquarius rises much higher into the sky, consider this to be one of the best meteor showers of the year. Catch an Earthgrazer For most, perhaps the best hope is catching a glimpse of a meteor emerging from the radiant that will skim the atmosphere horizontally -- much like a bug skimming the side window of an automobile. Meteor watchers call such shooting stars "Earthgrazers." They leave colorful, long-lasting trails. "These meteors are extremely long," said Robert Lunsford of the International Meteor Organization. "They tend to hug the horizon rather than shooting overhead where most cameras are aimed." "Earthgrazers are rarely numerous," cautions Bill Cooke, a member of the Space Environments team at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "But even if you only see a few, you're likely to remember them." Comet Crumbs If you do catch sight of one early these next few mornings, keep in mind that you'll likely be seeing the incandescent streak produced by material that originated from the nucleus of Halley's Comet. When these tiny bits of the comet collide with Earth, friction with our atmosphere raises them to white heat and produces the effect popularly referred to as "shooting stars." So it is that the shooting stars that we have come to call the Eta Aquarids are really an encounter with the traces of a famous visitor from the depths of space and from the dawn of creation. Images From Stunning Meteor Showers | Part 2 Wisconsin Farmer Discovers Fragment of Exploded Meteor Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Halley’s Comet Remnanats To Be Seen In Meteor Shower - Thaindian.com Posted: 06 May 2010 04:19 AM PDT By Ranjan Bhaduri However, not all sky gazers would be lucky enough to view the meteor shower in its glory. The people who will watch it from Northern hemisphere will face difficulty as the sky is not going to be moonless and cloud formation may also affect the viewing. However, the residents of the southern hemisphere are luckier. They can expect to see around 30 to 40 such meteors an hour. The comet itself is now far away in the solar system. It has left behind dusts and other materials that have formed the meteor shower. The telescope owners have a better chance of watching the meteor shower. The ideal time of viewing the shower is from 2 a.m to 4 a.m. The remnants of the Halley's comet can also be seen in October in another meteor shower known as the Orionids. The shower can appear from any direction in the horizon. Tags: better chance, celestial phenomenon, cloud formation, comet, dusts, eta aquarid, friday morning, halley, left behind, meteor shower, meteor showers, meteors, northern hemisphere, orionids, remnants, sky gazers, solar system, southern hemisphere, today and tomorrow, wee hours Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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May 6, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Halley's comet is considered as one of the most important celestial phenomenon that exists in our solar system. It comes close to the earth once in every 75 years and the last time the comet was seen was 1986. Some people may never get the chance to see the comet in their life but they can surely see its remnants through two yearly meteor showers. One of these meteor showers named Eta Aquarid will be visible today and tomorrow and stargazers can see the remnants of the comet in this meteor shower during the wee hours of the morning, as the star watchers forums and sites suggest. The shower is estimated to peak around Thursday and Friday morning.| You are subscribed to email updates from Add Images to any RSS Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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