All articles tagged with #meteors
The first supermoon and Quadrantid meteor shower of the year will occur in January, but the bright moonlight may reduce the visibility of the meteors, which are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere in dark skies before dawn. Both events are visible without special equipment, with the meteor shower peaking Friday night into Saturday morning and the supermoon visible throughout the night.
The Ursid meteor shower peaks overnight on December 21-22, 2025, coinciding with the winter solstice, offering a great opportunity for stargazing under dark skies, especially before dawn on December 22 when the radiant point is highest in the northern sky. The shower, caused by debris from Comet 8P/Tuttle, usually produces 5-10 meteors per hour but can have outbursts exceeding 25, with historical peaks of 100 meteors per hour.
The December Ursid meteor shower, peaking around December 21-22, is often overlooked compared to the Geminids but can produce up to 10 meteors per hour under dark skies, radiating from the constellation Ursa Minor near Kochab, with potential for unexpected activity due to past outbursts and the proximity of comet 8P/Tuttle.
Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii captured videos of two meteors striking the moon's surface, likely related to the upcoming Taurid meteor showers, highlighting lunar impacts that occur due to meteoroids traveling at high speeds in space.
The 2025 Orionid meteor shower peaked between October 21-23, with stunning meteor displays over Fayoum, Egypt, captured by photographer Osama Fathi, coinciding with a new moon for optimal viewing, and upcoming nights still promising good meteor activity.
The article highlights past Orionid meteor shower photos from around the world, including Arizona, as the October peak approaches, showcasing meteors created by debris from Halley's Comet streaking across the night sky.
The Draconid meteor shower peaks this week around 3 p.m. ET, but visibility may be limited due to the supermoon brightness. Best viewing is right after dark toward the northern sky, especially near the constellation Draco, though activity is expected to be low. The Orionids will peak later this month with better visibility during a new moon, offering 10-20 meteors per hour. The Draconids are known for rare meteor storms, occurring roughly every six years.
The Aurigid meteor shower peaks on August 31, offering a chance to see up to six shooting stars per hour as Earth passes through debris from comet C/1911 N1 Kiess, with the best viewing time in the early hours of September 1 in the eastern sky. Stargazers are advised to look away from the radiant near theta Aurigae and can enhance their experience with suitable cameras like the Nikon Z6 II.
The Perseid meteor shower, visible until August 23 and peaking on August 12-13, offers a spectacular view of bright meteors, especially in dark rural areas. Despite moonlight and weather challenges, Ohio residents can maximize their viewing by visiting designated dark sky parks like Geauga Observatory Park and Fry Family Park, and watching after midnight or before dawn. Clear skies and minimal light pollution are key for the best experience.
The Perseid meteor shower, considered the best of the year, peaked on August 12, 2025, but can still be observed until August 23, with optimal viewing in dark areas before sunrise, offering up to 100 meteors per hour at its peak.
June 2025 offers a spectacular array of celestial events including the Strawberry Moon, planetary alignments, meteor showers, and prominent star clusters, making it an ideal month for sky watchers with opportunities for both casual viewing and astrophotography.
June offers a variety of celestial events including the Venus at greatest western elongation, the peak of the Arietids meteor shower, the Strawberry Moon, close encounters between Mars and Regulus, and the appearance of the Lagoon Nebula, making it an exciting month for stargazers and astronomers.
Recent discoveries in the field of astronomy have shed light on comets and meteors. Comets, small chunks of ice and dust, have long, looping orbits around the Sun and can heat up when they swing close to it, forming a bright head and a tail. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, nicknamed "The Devil Comet," recently showed two plumes of gas. Asteroids, small rocky objects that orbit the Sun, are mostly found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission successfully brought pieces of an asteroid to Earth, while the Lucy mission discovered a tiny moon circling the asteroid Dinkinesh. Comets and asteroids also produce meteor showers, with the upcoming Leonid Meteor shower originating from the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
New research suggests that the mysterious flashes of light observed on Venus may be caused by meteors burning up on the planet's hot surface, rather than lightning as previously believed. Scientists from Arizona State University analyzed data and found that the energy levels of the flashes correlated with smaller meteoroids entering Venus' atmosphere. The study challenges the long-held assumption that the flashes were caused by lightning, suggesting that depictions of Venus in art may have influenced this misconception.
A new study suggests that the intriguing light flashes observed on Venus, previously thought to be lightning strikes, may actually be caused by meteors burning up in the planet's atmosphere. The study compared the number of flashes recorded by two surveys with the estimated number of meteors raining on Venus, and found that the space rocks burning up about 62 miles from the planet's surface could be responsible for most, if not all, of the observed flashes. This finding is important for future missions to Venus, as it suggests that lightning is not a significant threat to probes descending through the planet's atmosphere, but may pose a slightly higher risk for long-lived aerial platforms hovering in the clouds.