The Orion meteor shower is coming! How to observe？ Is it reliable to make a wish
BEIJING, Beijing, October 22 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) In October, many wonderful "astronomical blockbusters" were staged in the sky, including Venus’ full moon, annular eclipse and Venus’ great distance to the west … … Among them, the "meteor shower" is also one of the most concerned astronomical phenomena.
Romantic and beautiful … … This may be an impression tag when many people think of meteor showers. In fact, among all kinds of meteor showers, Perseid meteor shower, Leonid meteor shower and so on are well-known. On October 22nd, Orion meteor shower will reach its peak.
How is the meteor shower formed? What is "fireball"? Zheng Jie, an assistant researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Chinese Academy of Sciences, analyzed the characteristics of the Orion meteor shower and mentioned that the formation of the meteor shower was related to comets.
What are the names of common meteor showers?
In October this year, the first appearance in Tianyu was the Draco meteor shower, which has a feature that the meteor speed in the group is very slow and suitable for shooting.
According to the forecast, on October 22, the Orion meteor shower ushered in a great event. It is a medium-flow meteor shower that arrives on time every year. During this maximum period, the maximum zenith flow per hour is about 20.
"Meteor showers generally have a radiant point, which is often named after the constellation closest to the radiant point during the peak period. If necessary, add bright stars with Greek or Roman alphabet names to calibrate the name of the meteor shower." Zheng Jie said.
Zheng Jie said that the above rules were determined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2007, and so on. For example, the radiation point of the Orion meteor shower is in Orion.
"Compared with the Gemini meteor shower that people often hear, the Orion meteor shower is characterized by its high speed, many bright meteors and relatively stable flow." He explained.
How is the meteor shower formed?
As far as the formation mode is concerned, the mother of meteor shower is mostly comet, and the comet of Orion meteor shower is the famous periodic comet — — Halley’s comet.
The dust left by the comet in its orbit around the sun breaks into the earth’s atmosphere and emits light, which forms a meteor. When meteors "flock" across the atmosphere, they produce meteor showers.
Zheng Jie said that comets orbit around the sun in a flat elliptical orbit, and when they approach the sun, they will eject dust particles, which is called "meteor group". When the earth passes through the meteoroid group, various forms of meteor showers may occur.
"Every year the earth passes through the orbits of many comets. If there are meteoroid particles in the orbit, a periodic meteor shower will occur. " He explained that the reason why the date of a specific meteor shower is very regular every year is also related to this.
Zheng Jie mentioned that the International Astronomical Union has a dedicated task team responsible for tracking meteors, establishing a meteor data center and naming the confirmed meteor showers. By December 31st, 2020, there were 835 named meteor showers.
How to observe the meteor shower?
In fact, ancient people noticed the meteor shower very early. According to Zheng Jie, there are nearly 200 records of meteor showers in ancient China, which are important materials for studying the evolution of the orbits of meteor groups.
For example, the Chronicle of Bamboo Records records that "in the fifteenth year of Xia Emperor Gui, the stars in the night fell like rain"; In Zuo Zhuan, it is said, "In the summer and April of the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, the stars disappeared at night, and the stars in the night fell like rain. "This is the earliest record of Lyra meteor shower in the world.
In addition to meteor showers, there are also occasional meteors, or meteors outside the group. As for the fireball that people often mention, it refers to a very bright meteor, and its measurement index is generally simple, that is, to look at the brightness.
As far as the observation method is concerned, you don’t need complicated equipment to appreciate the meteor shower. If the weather conditions permit, you can choose a relatively dark and flat place, find the direction of the meteor shower radiation point and observe it with the naked eye.
Among the three famous meteor showers in the northern hemisphere, the Perseid meteor shower appears in the summer in the northern hemisphere. For astronomy lovers, the observation conditions are relatively comfortable. (End)