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Exploring Comets and Meteor Showers: A Guide to Celestial Phenomena

Discover the mysteries of comets from the Oort Cloud to the Kuiper Belt and learn about meteor showers, radiant points, and recurring astronomical events. Explore the fascinating world of cometary orbits, comet tails, and meteor storms in this informative guide by Gary W. Cronk. Unveil the beauty and wonder of celestial bodies that grace the night sky.

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Exploring Comets and Meteor Showers: A Guide to Celestial Phenomena

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  1. Comets

  2. Oort Cloud • The Oort cloud surrounds the Sun beyond the Kuiper Belt. • 10,000 to 100,000 AU • 1/5 the way to the nearest star • Spherical shell of icy objects

  3. Comets that are pulled toward the sun enter new orbits. Nudged by gravity Most pass only once – never return A few enter elliptical orbits Cometary Orbits

  4. Comet Halley has a nucleus with a lot of carbon soot and grains of sand mixed with ice. Comet Borrelly shows gases coming from the surface. Comet Nuclei

  5. Tails • As a comet is heated near the sun the ice vaporizes. • The vapors form a coma around the nucleus. • Part of the gas streams away from the sun and forms a tail. • Comet tails can be millions of kilometers long.

  6. Meteor Showers • Many times each year meteors will arrive in a group. • Up to hundreds per hour • Same direction from space • This is called a meteor shower. Gary W. Cronks Comets and Meteor Showers

  7. Radiant • In the 1800’s astronomers realized that meteors from a single shower came from a single point among the stars. • The point origin is called the radiant. • Named for the constellation in which it appears to originate

  8. Repeating Showers • Some meteor showers recur at regular intervals. • Leonids match comet Tempel-Tuttle • Astronomers recognized that this was consistent with a predictable orbit. Orbit of the Leonids

  9. Meteor Storms • As comets pass the sun they can leave a large amount of debris. • If the earth hits this debris it can generate 1000’s of meteors per hour. • This is called a meteor storm.

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