2024 has already been a great year for shooting stars and northern lights displays – and there may be more to come.
Meteor showers happen all the time and scientists are able to predict when they will light up the night sky.
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The Northern Lights – or Aurora Borealis – are more difficult to predict in advance.
But what we know is that the Sun, ultimately responsible for triggering the Aurora Borealis, goes through an 11-year cycle of activity.
When this cycle of activity peaks, we get much more intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun – known as solar flares – that affect Earth’s magnetic field.
It can wreak havoc on communications, air navigation systems and electrical grids, but one of the most pleasant results is the northern lights.
The reason we’ve had a number of great northern lights displays this year is because the sun is currently at its peak activity.
That’s why experts nicknamed it the “Year of the Dawn”.
So if one of the next meteor showers falls at the same time as another burst of solar flares occurs, we could be in for another doubly dazzling display.
The most dramatic meteor shower is expected to happen in December, when experts predict we could see up to 150 shooting stars per hour.
Of course, any chance of seeing them depends on weather conditions and where you’re looking, so prepare in advance. We have some tips in the video at the top of this page.
Below are the key dates to include meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere in your calendar – for both the UK and US – as detailed by Royal Museums Greenwich.
Draconids: October 6th to 10th
- Associated with Comet 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer
- Peak expected on October 8th and 9th
- Up to 10 shooting stars per hour
Orionids: October 2nd to November 7th
- Fast with fine trains; Associated with Halley’s Comet
- Peak expected on October 21st and 22nd
- Up to 25 shooting stars per hour
Taurids: October 20th to December 10th
- Very slow meteors
- Peak expected on November 12th and 13th
- Up to five shooting stars per hour
Leonidas: November 6th to 30th
- Associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle; Fast, bright meteors with thin trains
- Peak expected on November 18
- Up to 10 shooting stars per hour
Geminids: December 4th to 20th
- Many bright meteors, few trains
- Peak expected on December 14th and 15th
- Up to 150 shooting stars per hour
Ursids: December 17th to 26th
- Scarce shower; Associated with comet 8P/Tuttle
- Expected peak on December 23
- Up to 10 shooting stars per hour
What is the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?
Here’s what you need to know, according to NASA…
- Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that could impact Earth).
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids collide, the small pieces that break off are called meteoroids.
- Meteor: If a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to vaporize and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it will look like a ray of light in the sky because the rock is burning
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn’t completely vaporize and survive the trip through Earth’s atmosphere, it could land on Earth. At that point it becomes a meteorite
- Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However, instead of being made mostly of rock, a comet contains a lot of ice and gas, which can result in incredible tails forming behind them (thanks to the vaporization of the ice and dust ).
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
