Meteors and Meteor Showers www assignmentpoint com The
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Meteors and Meteor Showers www. assignmentpoint. com
The Differences… Meteoroid, Meteorite, Meteor? ? ? l Meteoroid- small, solid body moving within the solar system. l Meteorite- solid remains of a meteor that falls to the Earth. l Meteor- (shooting star)- bright trail of light created by small solid particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere & burning up l www. assignmentpoint. com
Meteor Facts l l l l Meteors (meteoroids) are the debris associated with comets or asteroids When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere & becomes a meteor, it is traveling at 60 -70 km per second! On a given night (with favorable conditions), you can see 1 meteor every 15 minutes The typical size of a meteor that produces a visible streak of light ranges from about the size of a grain of sand to the size of a small pebble! (average weight is only around 1 gram!) Fireballs (large, brilliant meteors) are periodically seen (these may weigh up to several kilograms or more). Bolides are fireballs that explode with a thunderous sound. See for yourself: http: //www. spaceweather. com/meteors/images/18 nov 01/varros 1_m ovie. gif (Fireball) http: //www. spaceweather. com/meteors/images/18 nov 01_page 3/Pon der 1. MPG (Bolide) www. assignmentpoint. com
Why do meteors have a streak of light? ? As they travel through our atmosphere, meteors collide with air molecules that knock away materials and strip electrons from the meteor… l When the stripped atoms recapture electrons, light is emitted… l The color of the light depends on the temperature and the material being “excited. ” l www. assignmentpoint. com
Are all meteors the same color? ? l The material or element that makes up a meteor is the main factor that determines the color of its glowing trail… - Sodium = orange-yellow - Iron = yellow - Magnesium = blue-green - Calcium = violet - Silicon = red www. assignmentpoint. com
Sporadic Meteors l These are the meteors that can be seen on any given night l They are not associated with any particular meteor shower l They come from random directions in the sky www. assignmentpoint. com
Meteor Showers l l Heavy displays of meteors that recur from year to year Caused by small fragments of comet debris entering the earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds…when the Earth’s orbit & the comet’s orbit intersect at some point ‘Shower meteors’ come from the same general point in the sky… The radiant of a shower is the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to come www. assignmentpoint. com
Meteor Showers (cont. ) l Meteor showers are usually named for the constellation in which their radiant lies at the peak of the shower… Ex. : Perseid shower = Perseus l Ex. : Leonid shower = Leo l Ex. : Geminid shower = Gemini l www. assignmentpoint. com
Specific Meteor Showers Meteor showers occur on a regular basis throughout the year, but not all are visible in the northern latitudes & some are very weak and easily go unnoticed… l Some of the more impressive showers throughout a given year are: Shower Avg. Peak - Quadrantids – early January - Lyrids – mid April - Perseids – early/mid August - Orionids – mid/late October - Leonids – mid November - Geminids – mid December ** Historically, the Perseids in August & the Leonids in November have been the most impressive meteor showers http: //www. spaceweather. com/meteors/images/18 nov 01_page 3/ cordiale 1. mov l www. assignmentpoint. com
That’s All… www. assignmentpoint. com
3 Questions… 1. True/False: The material or element that makes up a meteor is the main factor that determines the color of the glowing trail left behind True 2. This major meteor shower has a peak time around early/mid August: a. Geminids b. Leonids c. Orionids d. Perseids 3. What is the point in the sky from which all of the meteors seem to come during a shower called? Radiant www. assignmentpoint. com
