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August 2022
Perseid Meteor Shower Peak (Perseids)
The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle. The Perseids are so called because the point from which they appear to come, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift–Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels on its 133-year orbit. Most of the particles have been part of the cloud for around a thousand…
Find out more »October 2022
Draconid Meteor Shower Peak (Draconids)
The October Draconids are a meteor shower whose parent body is the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The Draconids are best viewed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky. The 1933 and 1946 Draconids had Zenithal Hourly Rates of thousands of meteors visible per hour, among the most impressive meteor storms of the 20th century. Rare outbursts in activity can occur when the Earth travels through a denser part of the cometary debris stream; for example, in 1998, rates suddenly spiked and spiked…
Find out more »Orionid Meteor Shower Peak (Orionids)
The Orionid meteor shower, usually shortened to the Orionids, is the most prolific meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet.
Find out more »November 2022
Taurid Meteor Shower Peak (Southern Taurids)
(Photo by Channone Arif) The Southern Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke. They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Because of their occurrence in late October and early November, they are also called Halloween fireballs. Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or…
Find out more »Taurid Meteor Shower Peak (Northern Taurids)
(Photo by Mike Lewinski) The Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke. They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or 65,000 miles per hour. If larger than a pebble, these meteors may become bolides as bright as the…
Find out more »December 2022
Geminid Meteor Shower Peak (Geminids)
The meteors from this shower are slow moving. The shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 02:00 to 03:00 local time.
Find out more »Ursid Meteor Shower Peak (Ursids)
The Ursid (URS) meteor shower is named for its radiant point which is located near the star Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) in the constellation Ursa Minor. The Ursids are associated with Comet 8P/Tuttle, also sometimes known as Mechain-Tuttle's Comet. Peak meteor shower activity: December 21-22
Find out more »January 2023
Anniversary of Chang’e 3 Launch (2013)
Fifth anniversary of the launch of China's moon lander and rover, Chang'e, in 2013. More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_3
Find out more »Anniversary of Pioneer 10’s Jupiter Flyby (1973)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_10#Encounter_with_Jupiter
Find out more »Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak (Quadrantids)
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the year's best, often producing more than 100 meteors per hour from a radiant near the North Star.
Find out more »Anniversary of Pioneer Venus 1’s Venus Orbit Insertion (1978)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Venus_Orbiter
Find out more »Anniversary of Chang’e 3 Lunar Orbit Insertion (2013)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_3
Find out more »Anniversary of Pioneer Venus 2’s Venus Arrival (1978)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Venus_Multiprobe
Find out more »Anniversary of Great Leonids Meteor Shower of 1833
185th anniversary of the Great Leonids Meteor Shower of 1833. More info...
Find out more »Anniversary of Chang’e 3 Moon Landing (2013)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_3
Find out more »Anniversary of the Buran Launch (1988)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)
Find out more »Anniversary of the Skylab 4 Launch – Last Launch to Skylab (1973)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab_4
Find out more »Anniversary of Wright Brothers’ First Airplane Flight (1903)
More information: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/wright.htm
Find out more »Anniversary of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Launch (2013)
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAVEN
Find out more »Anniversary of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Launch (2011)
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. On Twitter: @MarsCuriosity
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