Taurid meteor storm

T

Tao_Equus

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Tomorrow night (5th November) astronomers are predicting a quite spectacular meteor storm. Not spectacular in terms of numbers but in that the size of them could produce stunning fireballs. Perhaps as many as 20 an hour. So if you have clear skies maybe worth looking out for some.

tao
 
Well the cloud of meteors emerges from the region of Taurus which is Northern Hemisphere but you may catch the odd one low on the horizon. If its dark now pour yourself a tipple and go out and keep your eyes peeled. :)

tao
 
Hey, Tao, can you answer a completely amateurish and silly question?

The dates for viewing meteor showers come round the same each year ... yet the planet is moving round the sun, the sun is moving round ... I think you can guess where I'm heading.

I'm assuming that near things, like the moon, seem to move a lot because they are near, and moving :)(), but moving in a constant relation to us, so we can rely on it rising here, and setting there ...

Whereas distant things, like the stars, are so far away that the amount of movement is inconsequential.

But I get confused about meteor showers. They're on their orbit, yet they always coincide with ours ... are they orbiting the sun then? How come they always turn up on the same date?

+++

And are you light-polluted where you are? Living in London's not much kop. Father-in-Law is in rural Norfolk, so that's a bit better, although one can confuse shooting stars with Stealth bombers coming in to Mildenhall ... my best night-sky view, I think, was on a yacht in the middle of the English Channel. That Milky Way is ... milky.

Talking of Stealth bombers (which we weren't), my best fly-by display was waking up in a cottage in Drumnadrochit to the sound of RAF Tornadoes flying along Loch Ness. Rushed out, looking up to see 'em, sound everywhere, and not a sausage. Then someone said, "Not up, down!"

And there they were, below us, skimming along the Loch ... awesome!

Thomas
 
Thomas said:
Hey, Tao, can you answer a completely amateurish and silly question?

The dates for viewing meteor showers come round the same each year ... yet the planet is moving round the sun, the sun is moving round ... I think you can guess where I'm heading.

I'm assuming that near things, like the moon, seem to move a lot because they are near, and moving :)(), but moving in a constant relation to us, so we can rely on it rising here, and setting there ...

Whereas distant things, like the stars, are so far away that the amount of movement is inconsequential.

But I get confused about meteor showers. They're on their orbit, yet they always coincide with ours ... are they orbiting the sun then? How come they always turn up on the same date?

+++

And are you light-polluted where you are? Living in London's not much kop. Father-in-Law is in rural Norfolk, so that's a bit better, although one can confuse shooting stars with Stealth bombers coming in to Mildenhall ... my best night-sky view, I think, was on a yacht in the middle of the English Channel. That Milky Way is ... milky.

Talking of Stealth bombers (which we weren't), my best fly-by display was waking up in a cottage in Drumnadrochit to the sound of RAF Tornadoes flying along Loch Ness. Rushed out, looking up to see 'em, sound everywhere, and not a sausage. Then someone said, "Not up, down!"

And there they were, below us, skimming along the Loch ... awesome!

Thomas
Click to expand...

Hi Thomas,

The Taurid meteors originate in a stream of cometary debris that encircles the Sun. The debris was probably shed by a large, ancient comet that disintegrated to create the Taurid stream, as well as an existing comet called 2P/Encke.
The Earth began cutting across the broad dust trail in October, but it will cross the densest parts of the stream on 5 and 12 November. The best view of the Taurids is expected to fall on the night of 5 November, since the second peak may be obscured by an almost-full Moon.
The Taurids do not produce as many meteors as the Leonid or Perseid showers. But this year, the shower might be especially good because the Earth might cut across a cluster, or 'swarm', of meteoroids in the stream.


Courtesy of New Scientist


Hope that explains it for you :)


I have some pics somewhere of fighters doing just that, pictures taken from above their flight altitude. They are fun as a novelty, but if you are working with a chainsaw and one screams past 20 ft above you the novelty soon wears off :p


tao
 
Love the showers, and speakin of fighter jets.

In Nevada you'll run into signs that say 'Caution Low Flying Aircraft'.

This will not stop you from darn near soiling your pants when one comes flying out of a canyon and seemingly just missing your car, but it will give you an understanding that makes it currently acceptable for your heart to be lodged in your throat.

Now hiking in those canyons is another story. Same affect as described in the loch, you can be be walking a trail cliff side and suddenly two jets playing cat and mouse are chasing each other through the canyon...and it seems you see them prior to hearing them and when they go through it is deafening.
 
Good call, Tao - will take a look. :)

Interestingly enough, I've been seeing a lot of shooting stars over the past few months - anyone else notice?
 
Tao_Equus said:
Tomorrow night (5th November) astronomers are predicting a quite spectacular meteor storm. Not spectacular in terms of numbers but in that the size of them could produce stunning fireballs. Perhaps as many as 20 an hour. So if you have clear skies maybe worth looking out for some.

tao
Click to expand...

didn't see a freaking thing.
 
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