Celestial fireworks enthrall sky gazers

New Delhi, Nov.20, 2009                                                                                                              
Sky gazers in the country witnessed an exhibition of celestial fireworks as the night sky was lit up by the Leonid meteor showers on Nov.17, 2009. The Leonid showers, known for their outbursts over the period 1998-2002, are the most famous meteors observable during the year. Amateur astronomers in the capital were able to see about 100 to 300 shooting stars and fireballs illumining the sky in the early hours.

N. Rathnashree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here explained the method to observe the meteorite, 'Look up at the morning sky between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and you could see beautiful fireworks in the sky as new moon is providing ideally-dark viewing conditions.
"You need a simple telescope to watch the meteor showers. People in the capital should move to the outskirts to have a clear look as morning skies these days are covered with fog," she said.

A meteor is commonly called a shooting star. These shooting stars can be seen on any night, but when the number of meteors is large, it is called a meteor shower.

Meteor showers occur when the earth crosses the cometary orbit. As comets move about their orbits, they leave a stream of debris because dust and rocky material is liberated from its head as the ice vaporises. Most meteor showers result from debris that that boils off a comet's nucleus when it passes close to the sun. This debris orbits the sun along with the comet, forming a thin, elongated stream of meteoroids that become shooting stars when they hit Earth's atmosphere.
'The meteor showers last for just a fraction of a few seconds before they are gone. Better keep a close look at the sky for the beautiful show,' Rathnashree said.

According to a NASA report, the Leonids originate from a comet named Tempel-Tuttle, which makes a visit to the sun every 33 years. They get their name from the location of their radiant (the apparent point of their origin) in the constellation.

Besides Leonids, the sky was also witness to the Geminid Meteor Showers that occurred in 1996.