At the end of September and mid-October, some Puerto Ricans watched the passage of the comet identified as… C/2023 A3 (Tsouchenshan-Atlas). Multiple images flooded social networks in the wake of the celestial visitor who decorated the sky for several days. On this occasion, space enthusiasts have another opportunity, as during this Sunday night, a light meteor shower will be seen in Puerto Rico.
the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC) explained that these particles are particles released by Halley’s Comet, the last sighting of which was recorded in 1986. According to the Authority, the scene will be visible due to the Earth’s passage on the path that the famous comet took previously.
“On that journey, the comet released many particles not far from the region where we see the stars known to many as the Three Wise Men.” Late these nights, our planet is pointing or looking toward the part of the sky in which the constellation Orion is located, “And then, when they’re intercepted, we see these fragments entering our atmosphere at high speed, in what we call the Orion meteor shower.” SAC explained in a post on social media.
Although the moon will light up the sky and cause some difficulty in seeing the heavenly scene, the organization confirmed this Some meteors will be visible starting at 11:00 pm, when the constellation Orion is seen in the east.
“You do not have to look at a specific area of the sky to see it, as the moon will be present. We advise avoiding looking at it or even looking up or at other areas of the sky far from where we see the moon.” “This will increase the likelihood that we will be able to see some.”SAC said.
The educational authority explained that because Halley’s Comet rotates in the opposite direction to the Earth’s direction in its journey around the Sun, the debris released by the comet also moves in the opposite direction to the direction of our planet. This makes the meteorites extremely fast, reaching speeds of up to 148,000 miles per hour.
The sheer speed also causes some of these meteors to leave short green trails of ionized gas, or even a continuous line of smoke, as happened with the meteors captured by SAC in the early hours of Sunday, which left a residual streak of smoke that remained visible for about three minutes.
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SAC recommends always observing comfortably from a reclining chair or even from the ground because meteors can move across different parts of the sky.
Why was it named Halley and when will it be visible again?
According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, its abbreviation in English), until the time of the English astronomer Edmund Halley (1656-1742), it was believed that these celestial bodies passed through our solar system only once.
However, in 1705, the astronomer found similarities in the orbits of three comets that were visible in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682. At the time, Halley suggested that the trio was actually a single comet that made periodic journeys and predicted correctly. He would return in 1758.
According to NASA, The first “periodic” comet in history was named after him, and since that time, the celestial body has been linked to ancient observations dating back more than 2,000 years.
“For each orbit around the Sun, a comet the size of Halley loses between three and 10 feet of material from the surface of its nucleus. Thus, as the comet ages, its appearance becomes darker and it may lose all the ice in its nucleus. The tails disappear at that point, turning into “It ends up turning into a dark mass of rocky material or perhaps dissipating into dust.”
Its next visit near Earth will be in the summer of 2061.
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