Falling Star //

                               Meteors

                     

A meteor is a streak of light in the sky. A meteor, sometimes called a shooting star or falling star, is actually a space rock that is crashing through Earth's atmosphere.

* A meteor is a streak of light in the sky caused by a meteoroid crashing through Earth’s atmosphere. 

 

* Meteoroids are lumps of rock or iron that orbit the sun. Most meteoroids are small fragments of rock created by asteroid collisions. Comets also create meteoroids as they orbit the sun and shed dust and debris. 

 

* When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s upper atmosphere, it heats up due to friction from the air. The heat causes gases around the meteoroid to glow brightly, and a meteor appears. Meteors are often referred to as shooting stars or falling stars because of the bright tail of light they create as they pass through the sky. Most meteors occur in Earth’s mesosphere, about 50-80 kilometers (31-50 miles) above the Earth's surface.

 

 * Even the smallest meteors are visible from many kilometers away because of how fast they travel and how brightly they shine. The fastest meteors travel at speeds of 71 kilometers (44 miles) per second. 

 

 * The faster and larger the meteor, the brighter and longer it may glow. The smallest meteors only glow for about a second while larger and faster meteors can be visible for up to several minutes. Although thousands of meteors fall during the day, meteors are best observed at night, when the streaks of light are visible in the dark sky.

 

 * Meteors appear in different colors, depending on the chemical composition of the space rock and the air it is passing through. A meteor with high iron content, for instance, will appear yellow. A meteor with high calcium content may appear as a purple streak of light.

 

 * Scientists think up to 50 metric tons of meteors fall on the Earth each day, but most are no bigger than a pebble. Meteors that don’t burn up in the atmosphere strike Earth’s surface. These meteors are called meteorites. 

                                                                                    

                                            
 

Chelyabinsk Meteor

A meteor is a streak of light in the sky. A meteor, sometimes called a shooting star or falling star, is actually a space rock that is crashing through Earth's atmosphere. This meteor is streaking across the sky above Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013.

 

Types of Meteors

 

Meteors are described by their size, brightness and proximity to Earth. 

 

• Earth grazers are meteors that streak close to the horizon and are known for their long and colorful tails. Some earth grazers bounce off Earth’s upper atmosphere and re-enter outer space. Other earth grazers break up in the atmosphere and streak through the sky as falling stars. 

 

• The most famous earth grazer is probably the “1972 Great Daylight Fireball,” which entered the atmosphere over the U.S. state of Utah, streaking through the sky at 15 kilometers per second (9 miles per second). Thousands of people reported seeing the meteor. The earth grazer exited the atmosphere over the Canadian province of Alberta.

 

• Fireballs are larger meteors, ranging in size from a basketball to a small car. Fireballs have brighter and longer-lasting light than earth grazers. The International Astronomical Union describes a fireball as a “meteor brighter than any of the planets.”

 

• Fireballs are probably the most common type of meteor. Members of organizations such as the American Meteor Society report hundreds of sightings every year. As of July 2014, for instance, more than 1,500 fireballs were reported in the United States. Some were seen only in a small area, while others were reported by stargazers across several states. 

 

•  Bolides are even brighter and more massive than fireballs and often explode in the atmosphere. These explosions can be heard and even felt on the Earth’s surface. Some astronomers classify bolides as fireballs that produce a sonic boom as they streak through the atmosphere.

 

• Certain bolides, known as super bolides, are so bright and create such a large explosion that they become natural hazards, and dangerous to people and communities. The super bolide meteor that passed over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 exploded with the energy of around 500 kilotons of TNT. Its shock wave shattered windows in thousands of apartment buildings and sent more than 1,200 people to the hospital for injuries. The Chelyabinsk meteor was so bright—30 times brighter than the sun at its most intense—that it left people with skin and retinal burns. Scientists are studying the Chelyabinsk event to better understand how vulnerable human life is to space object collisions, and to develop technologies that protect Earth from them.

Tunguska

The largest meteor air burst in recorded history occurred over the forests of Siberia, Russia, near the Tunguska River in 1902. The so-called Tunguska Event leveled millions of trees and exploded with the power of about 12,000 kilotons of TNT.

Tecumseh

Communities and cultures all over the world have been familiar with meteors for hundreds and even thousands of years. The name of the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, for instance, means “Shooting Star.”

Bright Nights

The most brilliant meteor shower in recorded history happened on November 12-13, 1833, when tens of thousands of meteors lit up the sky in just four hours. In contrast, most showers produce fewer than 100 meteors an hour. The 1833 display was one of the Leonid showers that occur every November. 

Shooting Star !! 

 

Meteoroid 

Meteor Showers

What’s the difference between a meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite?

They’re all related to the flashes of light called “shooting stars” sometimes seen streaking across the sky. But we call the same object by different names, depending on where it is.

Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. Think of them as “space rocks."

When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors.

When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.

Myths About Shooting Stars

Make a Wish

Given the magic associated with shooting stars, it's no surprise that there's more than one superstition linked to them. While many cultures suggest that gazing upon these stars brings good luck, some believe you can use shooting stars for more precise purposes. Worried about your empty wallet? Park yourself outside on a starry night and wait for a fallen star. If you say the word "money" three times before the star burns out, you'll soon be on your way out of poverty. Struggling with acne? Hold a rag or cloth over your blemishes as a shooting star streaks through the sky to get rid of pimples. Don't just use your hand though, as this will simply transfer the marks to them; stick to a cloth or rag to rid yourself of the affliction for good.

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