Meteor shower will have up to 120 ‘shooting stars’ per hour in Brazil: how and where it will be possible to see the phenomenon – 12/11/2023 – Science

On the nights of Wednesday (14) and Thursday (15), the peak of the last meteor shower visible in Brazil this year, the Geminids, should occur.

In this phenomenon, meteors quickly enter the Earth’s atmosphere, tearing through the sky at a speed of 260 thousand km/h and appearing to us as a shower of shooting stars.

It is one of the showers with the highest rate of meteors per hour. The phenomenon can be seen with the naked eye, depending on the climatic conditions of the region.

Geminids happens once a year on Earth, always around mid-December. This is because it is normally during this month that our planet, on its trajectory around the Sun, is crossing the orbit of the asteroid 3200 Phaeton, where there are thousands of small rocks and debris from the asteroid in space.

Upon crossing this region, the asteroid’s debris enters Earth’s atmosphere. If the sky is clear, it is possible to see up to 120 “shooting stars” per hour in the sky, at the peak of the phenomenon.

“Just look in the direction of the Gemini constellation. At this time of year this constellation is visible in the northeast direction from 10:30 pm or 11 pm, depending on sky conditions and the observation point”, says Roberto Costa, professor in the Department of Astronomy at USP (University of São Paulo).

Costa advises that the Gemini constellation will be a little further east. “That is, more towards the direction in which the sun rises”, she tells BBC News Brasil.

The name “Geminids” comes precisely because the meteors appear to be coming from the direction of the constellation Gemini.

Tips for watching the phenomenon

The meteor shower has already started, in fact, and is expected to last about a week.

But its peak, when it will be most visible, will be on Thursday night. Experts, however, point out that it will be possible to have a good view of the phenomenon on Wednesday.

To watch the phenomenon, the ideal is to be in a very dark region, away from the city lights – and be lucky enough that the sky is clear of clouds. Lie down, looking up at the sky, and give your eyes several minutes to adjust to the darkness.

The forecast is that the phenomenon can be observed more easily in the North and Northeast regions of the country, says astrophysicist Eliade Lima, professor at Unipampa (Federal University of Pampa).

“The best visualization of rain is depending on the phase of the moon and where the constellation [de Gêmeos] will be at that peak moment. So the higher the Gemini constellation is that night, the better the viewing will be in a given place. So anywhere with the Gemini constellation visible, it will be possible to observe this rain”, says Lima.

“But due to the Gemini constellation being better located at that moment of the peak [a região Norte e Nordeste]you will be able to have a better view”, adds the astrophysicist.

Despite this, Costa adds that a very important factor in spotting the phenomenon is being in a place without artificial lighting. “And obviously, on a cloudless night”, declares the professor, who advises that people not look for risky places to observe the phenomenon.

Experts emphasize that there are applications in which you can point your cell phone towards the sky and discover the direction of the Gemini constellation or the meteor shower itself.

One of the possible problems in seeing the phenomenon is the condition of the moon on the date it occurs. But this year, says Costa, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“The phase of the Moon is very important. If it were close to Full, the background of the sky would be clearer and the contrast of the meteors would be much worse. But in this case we are almost at the New Moon [amanhã à noite é a Nova]so the moon won’t get in the way”, he explains.

Meteor, meteorite, asteroid, comet: what’s the difference?

A meteor is the “bright trail” left by a space rock that combusts and vaporizes after hitting Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA expert Bill Cooke.

The objects themselves are meteoroids, that is, pieces of rock or ice that separated from an asteroid or comet.

When they survive the journey through the Earth’s atmosphere and reach the ground, they become known as meteorites.

Asteroids are large pieces of rock that float in space and orbit around the Sun. Comets are also objects that orbit the Sun, but they are made of ice and dust, not rocks.

What is a meteor shower?

A meteor shower simply happens when the number of meteors increases too much.

They occur at regular intervals because they correspond to times when Earth passes through space “junk” routes.

The Perseids are the most famous rain, occurring in August annually. Each meteor that makes them up is a small piece of comet Swift-Tuttle.

The famous Halley’s comet is responsible for both the Eta Aquarid and Orionid rains.

But the Geminids, in mid-December, are considered one of the strongest and most observable rains, with bright and intense lights — hence one of the main events of its kind on the space calendar.

How often do meteors hit Earth?

Every day, the Earth is bombarded with a large amount — between 100 and 300 tons — of space dust and small objects, smaller than a grain of sand, according to NASA. These small objects are called meteoroids.

The American special agency also estimates that around another 44 tons of meteoroids fall to Earth every day.

About once a year, a meteor the size of a car enters the atmosphere, creating an impressive “fireball” that burns and vaporizes before reaching the surface.

And every 2,000 years or so, a meteor the size of a football field hits Earth and causes damage.