 | Marisa Honomichl is Vice President of Marketing and Development at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson. The Cosmosphere houses one of the largest collections of space artifacts in the world including the Apollo 13 space capsule. The mission of the Cosmosphere is “Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future of Space Exploration.” This is accomplished through educational programming such as space exploration camps for students in the summer. Feel free to contact the Cosmosphere for more information on their camps and programming at (800)397-0330 or visit www.cosmo.org. |
Science
2010-09-01 13:38:00
What’s that up in the night sky?
Question: What’s that up in the night sky?
Answer: Many of you may have had the opportunity to view the recent Perseid meteor shower that was visible for several days in mid August but have you ever wondered how those “appear” and what a meteor really is? Some people call them shooting stars because from here on earth that’s what they look like, streaming bright stars that travel rapidly with a bit of a tail behind them until POOF they disappear like fireworks fading out. In reality, they are groups of objects too small to be considered an asteroid that circle the sun and are impacted by the gravitational force of planets and moons. They can range in size from a spec of dust to a boulder and when they “appear” as shooting stars they are in reality hitting our atmosphere with such speed and friction that they heat up intensely and light up like a star. In fact, until they reach the point of entering the earths atmosphere they are considered a meteoroid but once they enter the earth’s atmosphere they are categorized as a true meteor.
Most of the meteors we see in the night sky burn up before ever reaching earth but a few actually reach Earth’s surface and are then classified as meteorites. Many scientists study these objects to determine their origin and makeup in hopes of discovering more about the origins of our solar system and other planets. Meteorites vary greatly in size, shape and composition. Some are as light as a snowflake and very light in color while others are extremely dense and contain high levels of iron. Most appear rather bland to the average person but a few have an iron crosshatch pattern that is unique only to certain meteorites and cannot be duplicated here on Earth, other than on a microscopic level in a lab. That is one of the many reasons meteorites have become valuable collectors items in addition to being studied extensively. Other collectors just love the idea of having a piece of the universe that is from outer space and billions of years old.
It is estimated that only about 500 meteorites impact the earth each year and very few of those are ever recovered. Thanks to the big, open Kansas skies and lots of locations without light pollution to view from, almost anyone can go out during a meteor shower and really enjoy a great show of light. For information on when and where to look for meteor shows visit www.skyscrapers.org/meteors.
