“Men of genius are often dull and inert in society; as the blazing meteor, when it descends to earth, is only a stone.” –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
And yet, not all meteors nor all meteor showers are created equal. Some showers are duds, with the meteors being infrequent, inconsistent, short-lived and dim. Hardly worth mentioning. On the other hand, meteor showers can be spectacular, with frequent events, consistent displays year-to-year, lasting many consecutive nights and with bright, luminous fireballs.
Image credit: David Kingham 2013 | The National Maritime Museum.
The Perseids, peaking tonight, are all four of these things, and we have its unique history to thank for it!
Image credit: National Association for Amateur Radio, via http://ift.tt/12OT664.
Come find out what makes it so, and then go out and appreciate this unique, annual sight of the night sky!
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1DL1ghF
“Men of genius are often dull and inert in society; as the blazing meteor, when it descends to earth, is only a stone.” –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
And yet, not all meteors nor all meteor showers are created equal. Some showers are duds, with the meteors being infrequent, inconsistent, short-lived and dim. Hardly worth mentioning. On the other hand, meteor showers can be spectacular, with frequent events, consistent displays year-to-year, lasting many consecutive nights and with bright, luminous fireballs.
Image credit: David Kingham 2013 | The National Maritime Museum.
The Perseids, peaking tonight, are all four of these things, and we have its unique history to thank for it!
Image credit: National Association for Amateur Radio, via http://ift.tt/12OT664.
Come find out what makes it so, and then go out and appreciate this unique, annual sight of the night sky!
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1DL1ghF
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