The southern meteor shower is in its peak phase on Friday night – News

The Tauridas do Sul meteor shower, visible to people from all over Brazil, will reach its climax on Friday night (5), more specifically from 20:00. At this time, the constellation Taurus, the radiance of rain, that is, the point in the sky from which the meteors appear, will be located very high in the sky, which will provide a better view for observers.

According to astronomer Cássio Barbosa, of Centro Universitário FEI, it is important to remember that although the radiance of phenomena is Taurus, the tendency is to look carefully at the sky as a whole, where the paths of light can be seen in any direction. It’s worth going somewhere away from the city lights, such as a farm or ranch, and lying down on a beach chair, to get the widest possible field of view.

“It is also important to pay attention to the weather conditions of your city, because to accompany the rain, the sky must be clear, that is, without clouds. In São Paulo, for example, it must be cloudy at night, but it does not rain. “

Another thing worth noting is that the moon must be outside the field of view, i.e. below the horizon line, and in this regard we will be lucky, as the star will set with the sun around 6 pm on Friday. And they are born only on Saturday mornings,” he continues.

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Under ideal conditions – and all directions followed – Barbossa ensures that it will be possible to see at most five meteors per hour, rain considered to be of low intensity.

The good news is that in addition to Tauridas do Sul, observers will also be able to see the luminous traces of two other rains in the sky: Tauridas do Norte and Oriônidas. While the first began on September 25 and will reach its climax on November 12, the second began on October 2 and was already the period of its largest appearance, which occurred on the 22nd of last month.

What is a meteorite?

A meteor, commonly known as a meteorite, is a phenomenon characterized by the passage of a meteorite through the Earth’s atmosphere. Meteorites, in turn, are pieces of comets or asteroids that separate from these celestial bodies and wander through space in orbits around the sun.

Read also: Learn the differences between comets, asteroids, meteorites and meteorites

In the case of Tauridas do Sul, the star causing the rain is Comet Encke, the second periodic comet discovered after the famous comet. Comet Halley. With an orbital period of 1204 days, the celestial body will take its next approach to the Sun in 2023.

* Trainee in R7 Under the supervision of Pablo Marquez