Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society, and member of the Arab Union for Astronomical and Space Sciences, Ibrahim Al Jarwan, said that during the period between 14 and 21 of this November, the skies of the Emirates will witness meteor showers called “Leonid meteor showers.”
Al-Jarwan said, “The Leonid meteor shower is one of the most common meteor showers that astronomers and amateurs are keen to follow during this time of the year.”
He added that the Leonids are attributed to the constellation Leo because they are seen emanating from the Leo constellation, one of the star groups in the sky, at a rate of more than 20 meteors per hour at the peak of the shower on November 17, and their number may exceed more than a thousand meteors per hour on rare occasions, then they are called “ “Meteor shower,” or “meteor storm.”
He pointed out that the Leonid meteor shower is linked to the remnants of comet Tempel Tuttle, whose path the Earth crosses during that period. On normal days, with clear, dark skies and far from lights, about five meteors per hour can be seen on average.
Al-Jarwan stated that meteors in general are small cosmic objects, their size often does not exceed the size of a chickpea seed, or dust grains that enter the Earth’s atmosphere, melt and glow as a result of their contact with it, at an altitude of approximately 120 kilometers above sea level, and as a result we see this glow in the form of a line. A light that moves quickly in the sky for seconds.
He pointed out that sometimes the Earth, during its annual cycle around the sun, crosses the path of a comet that leaves a lot of debris along its path. These small cosmic debris are attracted by the Earth, which causes an increase in the number of meteors seen or an increase in the density of falling meteors.
Al-Jarwan pointed out that meteor showers have almost fixed dates throughout the year, and are more intense if the comet passed recently.
2023-11-11 12:29:46
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