Articles tagged with Meteor Showers
Researchers found that the risk from airburst-sized near-Earth objects (NEOs) might be larger than currently estimated. A concentration of larger objects in a swarm could be observable by telescopes in 2032 and 2036, increasing Earth's impact risk.
Researchers at SETI Institute reveal why comets and their meteoroid streams weave in and out of Earth's orbit, finding that it's due to the gravitational boost or braking from the moving Sun. The study shows how this phenomenon causes the stream to disperse over time.
Astronomers have reduced concerns about a potentially hazardous asteroid swarm near Earth after discovering fewer large space rocks than previously thought. The study found only a handful of asteroids, likely less than 14, that fit the large size class, suggesting a smaller parent object and reducing the risk of extinction-level events.
Researchers studied 47 young meteor showers to understand where comets formed in the early solar system. They found that long-period comets often crumbled into gentle accretion conditions, while Jupiter-family comets broke apart under fragmentation, producing diverse asteroid populations.
A team of researchers from the SETI Institute found that heat is responsible for destroying space pebbles, not high-speed collisions. The study used data from NASA's CAMS camera network to determine the age and trajectory of meteor showers, revealing that thermal stresses cause the particles to break apart as they approach the Sun.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki found that asteroid Phaethon is composed of olivine, carbonates, iron sulfides, and oxide minerals, matching the spectra of rare CY carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. This discovery explains the formation of gas near the Sun and the subsequent release of dust and gravel into space.
NASA solar observatories have discovered that asteroid Phaethon's comet-like tail is not composed of dust, but rather sodium gas. The findings contradict previous theories and suggest a new explanation for Phaethon's behavior, which is the source of the annual Geminid meteor shower.
Researchers have identified a potential source of shock-darkened meteorites, which could explain discrepancies in how near-Earth asteroids are classified. The asteroid, 1998 OR2, is about 1.5 miles wide and shows characteristics that suggest it has undergone shock darkening.
Researchers at the SETI Institute have detected rare meteor showers caused by 4000-year-old comets. The Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance project uses low-light video security cameras to measure meteors' trajectories and orbits, revealing nine parent bodies of previously unknown meteor showers.
Two Japanese teams found the Phoenicid meteor shower linked to Comet Blanpain, which disappeared in 1819. The team predicted the shower's return and observed 29 Phoenicids, confirming their link to Comet Blanpain.
Scientists from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will launch a weather balloon equipped with a digital camera to broadcast web images of the Perseid Meteor Shower. The camera will provide a clearer view of the meteor shower and capture particles from the stratosphere during the event.