Spring Break
Meteor shower brings fireballs
Joanna Pelletier, Daily Vidette Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
A group of meteors known as the Taurid meteors will be visible in the rural night sky from November 5-12.
"You're going to see 10 to15 meteors per hour out in the country way away from city lights," Dr. Thomas Willmitch, ISU Planetarium coordinator, said. "If there are any lights at all, you'll see very little."
The meteors, also called 'Halloween fireballs', usually occur from mid-October to mid-November, producing showers that are yellowish orange to orange in color.
"It's a weak shower in one sense, but it leaves some spectacular meteors," Willmitch said.
Unlike most meteor showers, which are only visible during the early morning hours, the Taurids are visible in the evening.
Dr. Jay Ansher, computer support specialist for the department of physics, said the best time to see the meteors would be on Wednesday evening.
"The peak for these meteors will be at about 11 p.m.," Ansher said. "You should look in the direction of the constellation Taurus, which will curve east-northeast and will settle west-northwest at around 12 a.m."
The earth's motion will change throughout the night, causing the direction of the meteor showers to change periodically.
"The direction they appear to come from is from the earth's motion in space," Ansher said.
The Taurids are named after the zodiac constellation Taurus, which lies at the southernmost point of the celestial sky. According to Ansher, each meteor shower is named after the constellation from which it seems to originate.
The fireballs are a result of the earth passing through the tail of a much larger comet-Encke's Comet-which orbits the sun at least once per year and is visible to the earth at least once every ten years.
Encke's Comet is composed of large chunks of ice, water, gravel and other debris. As the comet orbits the sun, the sun's light and heat disintegrate the comet and create loose particles that eventually become meteors.
"When the earth passes through the dust cloud that is left by the comet as it makes its orbit, those dust particles show up in the earth's atmosphere as meteors," Ansher said.
The Taurids are divided into two parts: the Northern Taurids and the Southern Taurids, which were once a part of a single, broad stream that is visible in space.
The splitting of the streams is a result of the comet's age and the changing of planetary orbits, which cause a singular meteor stream to diffuse into multiple streams. Encke's Comet will also be making an appearance on November 17 and December 29 of this year.
"You're going to see 10 to15 meteors per hour out in the country way away from city lights," Dr. Thomas Willmitch, ISU Planetarium coordinator, said. "If there are any lights at all, you'll see very little."
The meteors, also called 'Halloween fireballs', usually occur from mid-October to mid-November, producing showers that are yellowish orange to orange in color.
"It's a weak shower in one sense, but it leaves some spectacular meteors," Willmitch said.
Unlike most meteor showers, which are only visible during the early morning hours, the Taurids are visible in the evening.
Dr. Jay Ansher, computer support specialist for the department of physics, said the best time to see the meteors would be on Wednesday evening.
"The peak for these meteors will be at about 11 p.m.," Ansher said. "You should look in the direction of the constellation Taurus, which will curve east-northeast and will settle west-northwest at around 12 a.m."
The earth's motion will change throughout the night, causing the direction of the meteor showers to change periodically.
"The direction they appear to come from is from the earth's motion in space," Ansher said.
The Taurids are named after the zodiac constellation Taurus, which lies at the southernmost point of the celestial sky. According to Ansher, each meteor shower is named after the constellation from which it seems to originate.
The fireballs are a result of the earth passing through the tail of a much larger comet-Encke's Comet-which orbits the sun at least once per year and is visible to the earth at least once every ten years.
Encke's Comet is composed of large chunks of ice, water, gravel and other debris. As the comet orbits the sun, the sun's light and heat disintegrate the comet and create loose particles that eventually become meteors.
"When the earth passes through the dust cloud that is left by the comet as it makes its orbit, those dust particles show up in the earth's atmosphere as meteors," Ansher said.
The Taurids are divided into two parts: the Northern Taurids and the Southern Taurids, which were once a part of a single, broad stream that is visible in space.
The splitting of the streams is a result of the comet's age and the changing of planetary orbits, which cause a singular meteor stream to diffuse into multiple streams. Encke's Comet will also be making an appearance on November 17 and December 29 of this year.
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