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Meteor shower recorded in Goiás

For the first time in almost 200 years, the expectation of a meteor storm seen from Earth, at dawn on Tuesday (31), moved the internet. The event, however, was more timid than expected – at least to the naked eye – according to experts.

According to the director of the Pléiades do Sul Astronomy Club, Ary Martins, this morning’s phenomenon is still unknown. Further analysis of some stations is still needed, mainly by Bramon (Brazilian Meteor Monitoring Network), to know if there was, in fact, a storm or a normal and sporadic occurrence”, he explained.

Several observatories had announced that the Tau Herculides meteor outbreak could become the biggest meteor storm in decades. All over the world, astronomers, researchers and enthusiasts have programmed themselves to follow this phenomenon that promised to be one of the most fantastic celestial spectacles of 2022.

Meteor Storm

According to Bramon, a meteor storm is an unusual meteor shower that has an outbreak so intense that it is capable of producing thousands of meteors per hour. “Modern studies show that meteor storms are usually caused by dense clouds of particles ejected during a comet or asteroid fragmentation. Over time, this cloud disperses in the orbit of the parent body forming the annual meteor showers. So, the more recent the fragmentation of the comet or asteroid, the denser the cloud, and the more intense the meteor storm generated by it.”

This morning’s meteor shower is the result of the fragmentation of comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (SW3). Meteors are small celestial bodies that move through space and enter the Earth’s atmosphere, burning up partially or completely due to contact with oxygen. This phenomenon leaves a luminous streak in the sky, which is popularly called a “shooting star”.

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