Orionid meteor shower to light up UK skies tonight
This picture shows a Perseid meteor along the Milky Way illuminating the dark sky near Pesquera de Ebro in the province of Burgos, northern Spain, during the 'Perseids' meteor shower. PHOTO: AFP
Sky gazers in the United Kingdom may brace themselves for a visual feast as the Orionids meteor shower, which is generated by the famous Halley’s Comet, is happening this week.
The meteors are known as “Orionids” because they seem to fan out from a region to the north of the constellation Orion’s second-brightest star, the ruddy-hued Betelgeuse. Halley’s Comet is only visible from Earth once every 75 years, but residual chunks from its tail generate two annual meteor showers: the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October.
Meteor showers typically come from the dusty, rocky guts that comets leave behind as they fly through the solar system. When Earth passes through a comet’s tail, its gravitational pull attracts their debris, which then enters the atmosphere, burns up, and is seen as a falling star or meteor.
Did you miss the Perseid meteor shower last night?
According to The Telegraph, the best time to see the Orionids in UK is tonight and the coming days, between midnight and dawn. If the sky is clear you could see up to 25 shooting stars an hour, travelling at around 41 miles per second. However this year, the light of the moon may make it more difficult to see. It’s best to find a dark spot, away from cities and light pollution.
“Orionid meteors are known to be very fast, travelling at about 41 miles per second, and typically on the faint side, although with clear, dark skies you still have a good chance of spotting one with its persistent, long trail,” the newspaper quoted a Met Office spokesperson as saying.
Scientists think about 1,000 tons to more than 10,000 tons of material from meteors falls on Earth each day, but it’s mostly dust-like grains, according to Nasa, and they pose no threat to Earth.
There are only two incidents recorded where people reported being injured by a meteorite, including one in 1954, when a woman was bruised by a meteorite weighing eight pounds when it fell through her roof.
This article originally appeared on The Telegraph.
Original news : http://tribune.com.pk/story/1205678/orionid-meteor-shower-light-uk-skies-tonight/