APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

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APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:07 am

Image Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over La Palma

Explanation: Meteor showers are caused by streams of solid particles, dust size and larger, moving as a group through space. In most cases, the orbits of these meteor streams can be identified with dust expelled from a comet. When the Earth passes through a stream, the particles leave brilliant trails through the night sky as they disintegrate in Earth's atmosphere. The meteor paths are all parallel to each other, but, like train tracks, the effect of perspective causes them to appear to originate from a radiant point in the distance. The featured image composite was taken during January's Quadrantid meteor shower from La Palma, one of Spain's Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa. The Quadrantids radiant is visible just below the handle of the Big Dipper. A careful eye will also discern the faint green coma of Comet Wirtanen. Tonight is the peak of the modest Lyrid meteor shower, with several meteors per hour visible from dark locations with clear skies.

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Ann
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Re: APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by Ann » Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:34 am

Nice! :D I really like the saturated star colors.

Note white Polaris, the North Star, at left. It is easily found if you follow the "pointer stars" of the Big Dipper, which are the yellow and blue stars at top left left in this image. The pointers point directly at Polaris. It seems somehow "wrong" that the radiant of the Quarantids is not near Polaris, but there you have it!

While we are at the left side of the APOD, note green comet Wirtanen at top left!

Bright orange Arcturus is at right. The "handle" of the Big Dipper points right at Arcturus. How practical that the Big Dipper shows us both Polaris and Arcturus! :D

Oh, and at lower right, you can find the tiara of Corona Borealis. How pretty it is!

As for the Big Dipper itself, its five middle stars (or six, since Mizar and Alcor should count as two) belong to the same "stellar association". These five stars all belong to spectral class A, and they move in more or less the same direction at the same speed through space. Yellow Dubhe, one of the pointers, and blue Alkaid, the end star of the handle, are different. Dubhe and Alkaid are farther away than the other bright stars of the Big Dipper, and they move in different directions than the others.

I'm not sure the link will keep working, so you may try this one instead.

And now that I'm giving you links, here is another cool one, showing how you can tell the time with the Big Dipper and Polaris!

Ann
Last edited by Ann on Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by orin stepanek » Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:44 am

Nothing ever lasts Ann! :roll: The constellations will probably all have to be renamed! :lol2:
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

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Re: APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by TheZuke! » Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:13 pm

orin stepanek wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:44 am the constellations will probably all have to be renamed!
The Constellation Formerly Known As Ursa Major!

B^)

P.S. thanks Ann for your "colourful" commentary!

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Re: APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by Boomer12k » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:56 am

Awesome image... so much going on...

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Re: APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by Boomer12k » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:58 am

In 50,000 years.... "The Big SCOOPER"....kind of a "shovel thing"...

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Re: APOD: Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over... (2019 Apr 23)

Post by neufer » Wed Apr 24, 2019 6:43 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
.
Boomer12k wrote: Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:58 am .
In 50,000 years.... "The Big SCOOPER"....kind of a "shovel thing"...
Long before the Big Dipper distorts to unrecognizability
other brighter/closer stars have entered the picture.
Art Neuendorffer

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