From a meteor shower to 67P’s closest approach to the sun: prepare to be amazed by comets.
A bright fireball over the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, ALMA, in Chile, marks the fiery death of a small grain of space debris, high in the atmosphere.
ESO/C. Malin
Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland; Donna Burton, University of Southern Queensland e Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute
Meteors have been seen since people first looked at the night sky. They are comprised of small pieces of debris, typically no larger than a grain of dust or sand, which continually crash into the Earth’s…
A group of excited observers during a peak of the Geminids meteor shower.
Flickr/Tasayu Tasnaphun
Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland; Donna Burton, University of Southern Queensland e Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute
Watching meteors in the night sky can be fun, although typically you only see a few flashes an hour. But there are certain times of the year when you can see many more – events known as meteor showers…
Image captured December 2013 of several Geminids meteors seen from the Observatorio del Teide (IAC) in Tenerife.
Flickr/StarryEarth
Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland; Donna Burton, University of Southern Queensland e Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute
The best meteor shower of the year should put on an impressive display this weekend – weather permitting – with the annual Geminids poised to light up the sky with bright, long meteors visible as frequently…
Meteors streak outwards from the top of Orion’s head as seen in 2012 from central Victoria.
Phil Hart
Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland e Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute
As Earth orbits the sun, it continually ploughs through dust and debris left behind by passing comets and asteroids. On any night of the year, a keen-eyed observer might see five, or even ten, meteors…
Over in the northern hemisphere, where summer is in full swing, it’s the time of the Perseids meteor shower. Generally it’s their best shower of the year, with 100 meteors predicted each hour over August…
A single Lyrids meteor captured during last year’s shower.
Flickr/Mike Lewinski
If you’re willing to rise early tomorrow morning then there’s the chance to see a meteor shower, known as the Lyrids, which may been responsible for a bright light seen recently over Russia. A dashcam…