People from all over Brazil will be able to observe the Delta Aquariidis meteor shower, also known as the Delta Aquaridas, which will peak at dawn from Thursday (29) to Friday (30). Under ideal conditions, it would be possible to see 20 to 30 meteors per hour crossing the sky.
To make a good note, astronomer Marcello de Sico, coordinator of the Exoss meteorite detection project, which is associated with the National Observatory, advises that it’s important to be somewhere away from city lights, such as a farm or ranch. The brightness of the moon visible in the sky this week may overlap a little, but it will not prevent this phenomenon from appearing.
“The moon is in full phase and its luminosity should slightly obscure the brightness of the meteors. However, it is a relatively heavy rain with very bright meteors,” he says.
The meteor shower has this name because its radiation is the constellation Aquarius, which is located in the same direction as the star Delta Aquarius. This means that all meteors will appear to originate from this point in the sky to the observer’s eyes, but this is just a perspective effect.
According to De Cicco, there is no better specific time to think about this phenomenon, but it is necessary to wait at least until midnight, when the constellation of Aquarius is high in the sky.
He explains that you shouldn’t just fix your vision to that specific spot, but look up at the sky in all directions – preferably leaning back on a beach chair or something, so you have the widest possible field of view.
What is a meteorite?
A meteor, popularly known as a “meteor”, is a phenomenon that characterizes the passage of a meteor through the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a bright trail in the sky, and eventually sounds. Meteorites, in turn, are parts of comets or asteroids, which separate from these celestial bodies and wander through space, in orbits around the Sun.
According to the astronomer, the Delta Aquariidis comes from the tracks left by Comet 96P / Machholz, which was discovered by the American Donald Machholz on May 12, 1986. In fact, verification of the origin of this phenomenon is still pending, but as studies progress, it is believed that this is the most likely possibility. realistic.
He adds, “An interesting feature of this comet is that it has a very short orbital period, only 5.3 years. Its next pass will be ‘near Earth’, astronomically speaking, in 2023.”
* Trainee in R7 Under the supervision of Pablo Marquez
