NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope sustained an impact to one of its primary mirror segments…
Browsing: Meteors
Meteors are the visible streaks of light in the sky, often referred to as “shooting stars” or “falling stars,” produced when meteoroids—small pieces of interplanetary debris—enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up due to frictional heating. Meteoroids themselves are typically composed of rock, metal, or a combination of both, and originate from comets or asteroids. As a meteoroid enters the atmosphere at high speeds, the intense heat caused by air friction vaporizes most of the material, creating a bright trail that can be seen from the ground. Most meteors disintegrate completely in the atmosphere; however, any remaining fragments that reach the Earth’s surface are called meteorites. Meteors can occur randomly or during predictable annual meteor showers, where the Earth passes through dense regions of space debris left by comets. These events are spectacular to observe and attract both amateur stargazers and professional astronomers.
If skies are clear, be sure to watch for a potential tau Herculid meteor outburst…
Earth’s Journey Through Cosmic Debris As Earth orbits the Sun, it plows through dust and…
Astronomers are excited about the possibility of a new meteor shower on May 30-31, the…
Loud Fireball Spotted Over Southern Mississippi Mostly Heard, Hardly Seen A fiery meteor streaked across…
NASA and the U.S. Space Force have released bolide data to enhance planetary defense, offering…
A large asteroid has been observed in space before hitting Earth. It’s the fifth known…
Danish and Swedish researchers have dated the enormous Hiawatha impact crater, a 31 km-wide (19…
The 50,000-year-old crater is relatively young, and only the second discovered in China. Despite China’s…
Researchers are using data from weather satellites to detect meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere. The new…
Concerns about an asteroid catastrophe have been reignited, though experts assure the public of safety.…
The 2022 Quadrantids, peaking January 3-4, could show 50+ meteors hourly, best viewed at 20:40…
The Quadrantids are an annual meteor shower peaking briefly in early January, offering a spectacular…
What’s the difference between asteroids, comets and meteors? These space rocks each have their own…
Every December we have a chance to see one of our favorite meteor showers –…
The Next Full Moon is the Hunter’s Moon; the Travel, Dying Grass, Sanguine, or Blood…
A rare daytime fireball over Slovenia was reconstructed using dashcam footage and public collaboration. Named…
Editor’s note: This article was based on a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific…