science

Meteor shower 2019: 'Few hundred' meteors are about to burst out in dazzling rare display


The spontaneous storm marks the arrival of the annual Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower. Alpha Monocerotids are active every year between November 15 and November 25, with a peak on November 21 to November 22. Tonight, however, some astronomers speculate the shower will break out into a storm of intense activity.

The Alpha Monocerotid meteor storm is a spectacular display of nature’s fireworks associated with a yet-to-be-discovered comet.

Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy told Express.co.uk the storm could produce a “few hundred” shooting stars.

In the past, Alpha Monocerotid storms have been known to shower the night with more than a thousand meteors per hour.

Dr Masi said: “As you likely know, on the night between November 21 and 22 there is a chance to see a spectacular outburst of the Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower.

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“A peak of a few hundreds of meteors per hour is expected, under ideal circumstances.

“At Virtual Telescope we will be streaming this event live online.”

But there is an element of uncertainty over the meteor storm’s arrival tonight.

The storm does not follow a set pattern and on past occasions has arrived in 1925, 1935, 1985 and 1995.

Dr Masi will focus his telescope on the night skies above Rome in a bid to catch the meteor shower in the wee morning hours of Friday, November 22.

With a bit of luck, the shower will produce upwards of 400 meteors an hour.

The astronomers predicted a “very short” outburst of the Alpha Monocerotids on the morning of November 22.

The outburst itself is caused by an unknown comet releasing a cloud of dust into our planet happens to pass through around this time of the year.

Some astronomers are, however, cautious about making any concrete predictions about the Alpha Monocerotids.

meteor expert Bill Cooke warned such predictions are often inaccurate and “there may be no outburst at all”.

He said: “If Jenniskens and Lyytinen are right, you might see some pieces of a comet that awaits discovery, burning up in the atmosphere 60 miles above your head.

“That’s worth a couple of hours, I think. Even if there is no outburst, it doesn’t hurt to get out under the stars for a bit.”

Even if the meteor storm fails to materialise this week, you could still be able to see a few shooting stars crisscross the night skies.

Just remember to find a dark and secluded spot far from sources of light if you decide to look for the shower outdoors.

Dress appropriately to the weather and pack some snacks and drinks with you.

Dr Cooke said: “Lie flat on your back, look straight up, and enjoy looking at the night sky – maybe listen to some appropriate tunes but don’t look at your cell phone, as the bright screen will ruin your night vision.”



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