National Meteor Watch Day 2020 - Important Date, History, Facts, Quotes & How to celebrate the National Meteor Watch Day

National Meteor Watch Day 2020 - On 30 June 2020, National Meteor Watch Day is observed to enjoy the glowing meteoroid falling through the earth atmosphere. Get the information about the history of  National Meteor Watch Day, facts, quotes & how to celebrate the National Meteor Watch Day 2020.

Roselet Sheena Merli | Updated Jun 29, 2020 14:58 PM

National Meteor Watch Day 2020 - Important Date, History, Facts, Quotes & How to celebrate the National Meteor Watch Day

National Meteor Watch Day 2020

National Meteor Watch Day is celebrated on June 30 of every year. National Meteor Watch Day 2020 is an opportunity to celebrate the wonders of nature's celestial fireworks. On this National Meteor Watch Day, people around the country spend the night with their family by looking at skies and making their wish when a shooting star falls.

A meteor is the visible light streak from a heated and glowing meteoroid falling through the atmosphere of the Earth. Meteor is also called a “shooting star”. Millions of meteors occur in the atmosphere of Earth every day. The interesting fact is that when wished upon a shooting star that wishes would come true. It is believed that this concept originated in Greece when, around AD 127-151, a Greek astronomer Ptolemy wrote that, out of curiosity, the Gods peer down at the Earth from between the spheres.

What is the history of National Meteor Watch Day?

The history and the founder of the National Meteor Day is unknown. Though meteors have been known since ancient times, they were not recognized until early in the nineteenth century to be an astronomical phenomenon.

What is Meteor?

Meteors are made up of space dust and rock pieces that burn up as they enter the atmosphere of the earth. They turn different colours, as they burn. The different colors indicate the different gases by which the rocks are made up of. The bright light that appears to fall through the sky is actually sparkling hot air that zips through the atmosphere after the dissolving hot rock. 
Meteors from comet tails or asteroid orbits will end up in the atmosphere. The Earth's path through space leads through an annual concentration of debris that causes greater concentrations of meteor showers every year around the same time. If a meteor travels through the layers of the atmosphere without disintegrating entirely, this is known as a meteorite.

Many meteoroids which result in meteors are just the size of a pebble. Meteors are most likely to be seen during the night. These are visible when they are between 34 and 70 miles above the Earth. They usually disintegrate, once they reach between 31 and 51 miles above the Earth. A glow-time appears to last around a second.

Despite a large number of meteors that are seen, a small percentage of meteoroids hit the atmosphere on Earth and then slip back into space. The chemical composition and the meteoroid speed will cause the light to have different colours. Possible colors and the elements which they create includes:

  • Red (silicate)

  • Orange or yellow (sodium)

  • Blue or green (copper)

  • Purple (potassium)

  • Yellow (iron)

What is Meteor shower?

A meteor shower is a celestial phenomenon in which a variety of meteors are observed radiating in the night sky from a single point. Such meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids reaching Earth's atmosphere in parallel trajectories at incredibly high speeds.

One of the most prominent meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere is the Perseids. Named after the Perseus constellation where much of the activity is taking place, particles emitted by the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet cause the meteors to shower down on Earth. The Perseids will be active from mid-July through late August. Some years, skywatchers view more than one meteor per minute on a clear night with a new moon.

How to observe the National Meteor Watch Day?

Celebrate National Meteor Day by spending the night with family and make a wish for the loved ones. On this day learn some of the interesting facts about meteor hits. Use #NationalMeteorWatchDay on social media and share the Meteor Watch Day celebration.

Meteor - Interesting Facts

  • Meteorites are solid particles, which fall from space onto the surface of the Earth

  • It's said that many meteorites come from asteroids

  • In our solar system, most known asteroids are found between Jupiter and Mars

  • The Barringer meteorite is one of the most prominent meteorites because of the crater it left behind

  • Scientists have discovered a total of roughly 40 meteorite craters ranging more than 12 miles in diameter

  • The length of the light trail depends upon the elements and dimensions of the meteoroids

  • The Hoba Meteor is the largest single meteorite found on Earth

  • The tail light of a meteoroid can last as short as a few seconds and as long as 30 minutes

  • The quickest meteoroids fly at a speed of around 42 kilometers per second across the Solar System

  • Each year nearly 30 meteor showers occur that are visible to Earth's observers. Many of those showers were used for more than 100 years. The Perseid meteor shower, for example, which occurs every year in August, was first observed around 2000 years ago and reported in the Chinese annals

  • A fireball is a brighter meteor than that of planet Venus

Meteor - Quotes

“New ideas come into this world somewhat like falling meteors, with a flash and an explosion.” - Henry David Thoreau

“Great men are meteors, consuming themselves to light the world” - Napoleon Bonaparte

“I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.” - Jack London

“I entered literary life as a meteor, and I shall leave it like a thunderbolt.” - Guy de Maupassant

“Great men are meteors designed to burn so that earth may be lighted.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

Disclaimer: The above information is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the Site.

National Meteor Watch Day - FAQ

1. What happens during a meteor shower?

A meteor shower happens while Earth is entering a comet 's path. As this occurs, comet debris pieces, most of which are no greater than a grain of sand, produce streaks of light in the night sky as they burn up in the atmosphere of Earth. Bits of debris that enter the Earth atmosphere is referred to as meteors.

2. What color is a shooting star?

A shooting star appears to the naked eye as a fleeting blitz of white light. However, this image documents the appearance of a wide range of colors produced by the object, as it hurdles towards Earth. Predictable are those colors: first red, then white, and finally blue.

3. How fast is a shooting star?

A shooting star 's speed depends on how and when the meteor enters the atmosphere of the Earth. On average, the speed of the meteor ranges from 11/km/sec to 72 km/sec, which is 25,000 mph to 160,000 mph.

4. What causes a meteor shower?

Meteor showers occur when the earth passes through debris left over from the decomposition of comets in its orbit around the Sun. When the earth intersects this orbit during its annual journey, it may run into this debris, which burns up when entering the earth's atmosphere, producing a visible meteor shower.

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