Space is a storehouse of mysteries that have always fascinated mankind since ancient times. Every event that occurs in space has always invited human curiosity since centuries ago and has been an inspiration for humans in works of art, literature, science, and has even spawned many superstitions.
There are a myriad of astronomical phenomena that we have observed, some of which are common and occur quite frequently, and some of which are so rare that not everyone has had the opportunity to see them.
The following is an explanation of some very rare astronomical phenomena.
1. Terurainya asteroid P/2013 R3
Quoted from the Space page, from 2013 to 2014, the Hubble Space Telescope observed a rare event, namely the rupture of the asteroid P/2013 R3. Asteroid P/2013 R3 seems to spontaneously vanish in an unexpected way as it slowly gets pulled in by the gradual effects of sunlight.
This rare event occurs because when sunlight hits this asteroid, it causes the asteroid to spin out of control. The intensity of the rotation increases gradually until the asteroid breaks into about 10 large pieces.
These pieces drifted away from each other slowly. If any part is not attracted to the sun, this could be a future meteor. The years 2013 to 2014 were the first and last time an event like this occurred on an asteroid.
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2. Saturn’s great white thunderstorm
Saturn’s great white thunderstorm (phys.org)–
Described on the page of the Europhean Southern Observatory, the Great White Lightning storm is a storm that occurs every 20 – 30 years in Saturn’s northern hemisphere, when the planet has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. A great storm ensued filled with clouds rich in ammonia, complete with violent thunder and lightning. Hurricanes accompanied by about 10 lightning strikes occur every second and evaporate the water content in Saturn’s atmosphere.
The intensity of thunder and lightning increases as the water condenses, creating storms that are 10,000 times more powerful than those common on Earth. These large storms occur because of the weight of the water in the atmosphere, which causes the upper atmosphere to cool so cold that it triggers a flood every 20 or 30 years. The next storm will occur sometime between 2030 and 2040, and may be visible from Earth.
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3. Transit Venus
transit of Venus illustration (npr.org)–
Transit of Venus is an astronomical phenomenon in which the position of the planet Venus is between Earth and the Sun, quoted from The Mysterious World page. During this event, Venus can be seen from Earth as a dot or disc on the Sun’s surface.
This event actually repeats every eight years, but the position of Venus with respect to the Sun can vary. It took about 110 years to get to the exact same position as the previous transit.
Also Read: 7 Mysteries of Andromeda, the Galaxy That Is Said to Be Collising the Milky Way
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4. Comet Halley
Halley’s comet illustration (universetoday.com)–
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Comet Halley is a periodic comet that was first discovered by Edmund Halley in 1531. It orbits the Sun every 75 years, in an elliptical orbit, according to the Space page explanation. Comet Halley is 14.5 km long and 8 km wide and can be seen from various locations on Earth with the naked eye.
Halley’s Comet is composed mostly of ice, but also contains iron, ammonia, sodium, and carbon monoxide. Halley’s Comet was last observed in 1986 and is expected to reappear in 2061.
Halley’s Comet is considered the most famous comet. Before Edmund Halley inaugurated it, this comet had been recorded by early astronomers as far back as 240 BC, from civilizations such as China, Babylonia, and chroniclers from medieval Europe.
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5. Total Solar Eclipse
Total Solar Eclipse illustration (eso.org)–
The phenomenon of solar eclipses occurs several times a year. However, a total solar eclipse is a very rare phenomenon.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned and the Moon completely covers the Sun. When a total solar eclipse occurs, the earth becomes dark like night, but only for a short time interval.
The last total solar eclipse occurred in November 2012. Scientists estimate that this phenomenon will repeat itself 138 years since the last event occurred, quoted from The Mysterious World page.
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6. Big star nursery
galaxy illustration (pexels.com/Jacub Gomez)–
There are at least 150 clusters in the Milky Way that contain globular clusters with about one million stars. In 2006, astronomers discovered a cluster full of gas but hardly any stars. This rare celestial body is in the Antenna galaxy 50 million light years from Earth.
Reported by the Rarest page, scientists state that in the region there have been no stars found for about 1 million years. This rare astronomical phenomenon is very interesting because it gives scientists the opportunity to study the mysterious things that the universe holds.
This region is also responsible for the birth of most of the amazing globular clusters captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. This is also the first and last time astronomers have observed an event like this.
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7. Alignment of the planets
illustration of the phenomenon of the alignment of the planets (eso.org)–
The possibility of alignment of positions between planets in the solar system is very rare, according to the explanation of The Mysterious World page. Scientists predict there will be a rare alignment of the positions of the planets Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon by 2040.
In 2000, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter were also recorded. In May 2011, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus were aligned in the form of a triangle. The parallel phenomenon of the planets and the moon will produce a beautiful view when viewed from earth.
Every phenomenon in the sky is indeed very interesting to see. In addition to the phenomena above, it is not impossible that in the future there will be other sky phenomena that have never existed before considering that the universe holds many mysteries.
Also Read: Here Are 7 Milky Way Puzzles That Are Guaranteed To Amaze You!
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