Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower, Halley’s Comet
Mains level: NA
Why in the news?
- The Eta Aquariid meteor shower, an annual event, will reach its peak on May 5 and 6.
- This meteor shower is a result of Earth intersecting with the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet during its orbit.
Halley’s Comet
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What are Meteoric Showers?
- Meteors, fragments of dust, rock and ice, are expelled from comets during their celestial orbits around the sun.
- The Earth’s atmosphere heats these space rocks as they descend, leaving luminous streaks of gas in their way.
- NASA’s records confirms existence of over 30 meteor showers annually.
Origin of Meteor Showers:
- Meteor showers originate from comets, remnants of the solar system’s formation composed of dust, rock, and ice.
- Comets orbit the Sun in highly elliptical paths, and as they approach, they heat up, releasing gases and dust to form a glowing head and a tail stretching millions of miles.
- When Earth traverses through the debris left behind by comets along their orbital plane, we witness meteor showers.
About Eta Aquariids
- Known for their rapid speed, Eta Aquariid meteors produce long, glowing tails lasting several minutes.
- Observers in the Southern Hemisphere can witness approximately 30 to 40 meteors per hour during the peak, while those in the Northern Hemisphere may see around 10 meteors per hour.
- They seem to originate from the Aquarius constellation, hence the name ‘Eta Aquariid.’
PYQ:[2014] What is a coma, in the content of astronomy? (a) Bright half of material on the comet (b) Long tail of dust (c) Two asteroids orbiting each other (d) Two planets orbiting each other |
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