Tonight until early Wednesday morning, the Orionid meteor shower will dazzle wish makers lucky enough to find cloudless, dark skies. Here's a list of common questions and answers about the shower for all you star gazers out there.
Where does the Orionid shower come from? The annual Orionid meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through comet debris left by Halley's comet.
How many shooting stars may I see? The shower will cause around a dozen "shooting stars" to appear in the sky each hour.
What is the best way to view the shower? The darker the sky, the more stars will be out. Though Omaha doesn't suffer from severe light pollution, there is still a significant difference between Omaha and smaller areas such as Logan, Iowa.
When is the best time to view the shower? In the early morning on Wednesday.
When I wish upon a shooting star will my dreams come true? Um... yes! Of course everything Disney tells us is true, right? The song from Pinocchio says "when you wish upon a star...anything your heart desires will come to you", so I'm assuming that wishing upon a shooting star is even more effective.
Where does the tradition of wishing on a shooting star come from? The oldest reference to wishing on a star is the nursery rhyme Star Light, Star Bright, dating back to the late 1800's. It is believed that our ancestors wished on stars or shooting stars even farther back, as the stars were often associated with mystical powers. Even the Bible refers to Jesus Christ as a star, as in the star of Jacob or the bright and morning star.
How can I learn more? One great resource is meteor showers online, which lists all the meteor showers for the year with further information about each, as well as tips on how to view them. There is also a great article posted by the St. Louis Astronomy Examiner.
Happy star gazing and may all your wishes come true!
Source examiner.com
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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