SHOOTING STARS. After the shower of shooting stars from the Tau-Herculids, hundreds of shooting stars will cross the sky in August. This will be one of the most famous astronomical events of the year: the Perseid Rain.
[Mis à jour le 31 mai 2022 à 16h20] A rain of Tau-Herculid shooting stars made the show this night of Tuesday May 31, 2022, very early in the morning. Unknown to the general public, the shooting stars of the Tau-Herculids are usually unspectacular, and yet, its swarms of dust, from comet 73P that the Earth meeting every 5 years, offered a magnificent spectacle this night from Tuesday to Wednesday, mainly for the inhabitants of the American continent.
If you missed the show, absolutely note in your diaries the Perseids, the most famous shower of shooting stars, observable a few days after the no less famous astronomical event of the night of stars. This great summer stellar rendezvous will be observable from July 20 to August 25, 2022, and its peak of activity will take place on the night of August 12 to 13. Then check out the other most notable meteor showers that appear in the sky throughout the year, in chronological order of appearance below:
Check out the most notable meteor showers that appear in the sky throughout the year, in chronological order of appearance below:
- The Perseids : Made up of debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, the Perseid meteor shower is the most famous of the year because it is one of the most active. This meteoritic swarm in the constellation of Perseus extends from July 20 to August 25, with a peak of activity on the night of August 12 to 13. It is the most spectacular of all, with its 100 observable shooting stars per hour!
- The Orionids : active from September 26 to November 22, they are particularly observable from October 20 to 21, in mid-autumn. The Orionids, named after the constellation Orion (easy to recognize, its seven brightest stars form a bow tie or slightly tilted hourglass!), are visible in the northern hemisphere at this time of year . Depending on the year, between 50 and 75 shooting stars pierce the sky every hour.
- The Leonids : located in the zodiac constellation of Leo, the Leonid meteor shower appears from November 3 to December 2 with a peak of activity from November 17 to 18. If 10 to 20 shooting stars are observable in the sky per hour, every 33 years, the spectacle becomes unforgettable after the passage of comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle: the rain of shooting stars then turns into a storm, with thousands of meteors in one night!
- The Geminids : produced by a celestial object called “3200 Phaethon”, the Geminids would thus come not from comets, but from asteroids. Active from November 19 to December 24, their peak of activity is located between December 13 and 14 with an hourly rate of 60 to 75 meteors, or even 120 to 160 meteors per hour at the strongest. To observe them, visualize the constellation Gemini above the eastern horizon.
- The Ursids : this meteor shower is active from December 13 to 24, associated with comet 8P/Tuttle. The peak of the Ursids takes place just before Christmas on the night of December 21 to 22. It is of low intensity, with 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
- The Quadrantids : active during the winter nights between December 26 and January 16, they display a rate of 25 meteors per hour, during the night of January 2 to 3. They originate from the sleepy comet 2003 EH1.
- The Lyrids : located in the constellation of Lyra and active from April 16 to April 25, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of April 21 to 22 each year, with a rate of 5 to 20 meteors observable at time. It is associated with comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher.
- The Eta Aquarids : active from April 19 until May 28, mainly visible in the southern hemisphere, the meteor shower is supplied by Comet Halley. Its peak is located on the night of May 4-5, with a rate of 30 meteors per hour.
No danger or need for specific equipment! Shooting stars are visible to the naked eye by everyone. No need therefore to take out the binoculars or the telescope, given the high speed at which the fireballs pass through the Earth’s atmosphere (an average of 50 km/second). About a quarter of shooting stars leave visible trails for several seconds. To be able to observe a shower of shooting stars in an optimal way, the sky must not be obscured by clouds, or by light pollution.
The stellar tradition, which occurs each year at the same period, will be perpetuated, but beware of confusion: it is obviously not a question of “star” strictly speaking, but of asteroid dust which passes very close to our planet and some of which come into “collision” with the Earth. Shooting stars have nothing to do with stars. It is an extinct comet, or else an asteroid which, while moving, leaves behind a large number of debris.
Luminous phenomena, shooting stars (or meteors) thus appear each time tiny meteorites come into contact with the dense layers of the atmosphere, at speeds ranging from 15 to 70 km per second. Due to the friction of the air, this dust – sometimes more or less large pebbles – becomes incandescent before volatilizing. Electrified as they pass, the air becomes luminescent, giving the impression of persistent streaks that seem to come from the same place in the sky: the constellation of Lyra for the Lyrids, that of Orion for the Orionids, Perseus for the Perseids , Leo for the Leonids or Gemini for the Geminids…