Night of Fallen Stars (Phil Klimaszewski)
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With the tail of a comet
But speaking quite closely: the night from Wednesday to Thursday there is a maximum of the Perseid shower. “Shooting star” we should call a meteor – a light phenomenon caused by break through the Earth’s atmosphere particles of matter, often no larger than a grain of sand. Flew at a speed of several kilometers per second (sic), with tremendous strength interior of the upper parts of the atmosphere. The friction produces heat, which then ionizes the gases under a flight path of such particles. And although it seems that the meteor was a “very short and flew behind a tree,” is in fact the traces of this trip are from several to tens of kilometers and we see them often hundreds of kilometers. And this is all thanks to the “grain of sand”!
Today you will be able to see them in the sky whole lot! The source of such particles of matter in the solar system are comets. These ice blocks, regularly returning to the area of the center of the solar system, warm up and sublimate – their ice surface turns into a gaseous envelope that comet loses, flying through space. It was then created spectacular braids. A passing comet leaves behind a trail of cloud particles. If its orbit intersects the orbit of the Earth, our planet each year goes into refurbishing every now and then a cloud of particles, which then bombard our atmosphere.
In the night from Wednesday to Thursday earth will be close until two streams of particles whose source is comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle. It returns every 133 years, renews old or generate new streams of cometary dust. As a result, always in mid-August in a large number of meteors seem to fly out of the constellation Perseus. Hence their name – the Perseids.
Just eye
The observations of meteors are among the simplest in astronomy. Just unaided eye. For convenience and to avoid neck pain should lie on the ground, a blanket or a deck chair and patiently staring at the sky. Turn our gaze to the east – it was there in the first half of the night will ascend constellation Perseus. However, we do not need him to know. In fact, we should not even look at him! Top eyes sweep as the largest area of the sky from the north, the east, until after noon and additionally over our heads. It was there-adapted eyes to the darkness we should see the first pouring out of the sky meteors.
The observation should find the right place. Moonless night will be very handy, but you need to take care of eliminating the sight of other artificial light sources. So it is best to observe to go out of town (from the big cities we go east!), Where the sky will naturally darker. If the observation will lead us in a big city, let’s find a shaded place where we do not have in sight other strong sources of light – the glow of narrow pupils us in the eye and prevent observation of stars, including those falling.
Whatever if we observe from the city or in rural areas, meteors do not appear immediately. Sometimes you have to wait several, and sometimes several minutes. Eyes after adaptation to darkness will begin to catch also the weaker phenomenon, by which the frequency of their appearance will increase. In the second half of the night, we can see approx. 60-80 meteors per hour. Located close to half less.
Fans of astronomy and science centers throughout the country organize joint observations of this unusual phenomenon. Night of shooting stars is organized in Gdansk, Hewelianum Centre in Szczecin in the Park. Jan Kasprowicz, in Kalisz on the Champs de Mars, in Myślenice on Zarabiu, in Piwnice, Siedlce and many other cities.
Dark in
Observations, as every year, organizes the Center of Science “Copernicus” . Organized in three years observation event is now the largest in Poland and probably the biggest in Europe. CSC specifically for these observations extinguish the illumination of its buildings and the surrounding objects. As in previous years, go out nearby bridges and the National PGE. Last year it attracted more than 6.5 thousand observation. people. This year, organizers expect more than 10 thousand. guests. Admission to all events observation in Poland is free. Ease of observation Perseid and holidays result in the fact that people not only in organized groups, but often intimate with friends and family admire flying out of the sky falling stars. While science is still not confirmed their extraordinary capability to fulfill the wishes, on this night everyone is in the pocket of a short list. And what if succeed.
Why do so many look for?
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