Cook said stargazers can see up to five fireballs per hour on the busiest nights. Despite its fiery name, fireballs are perfectly safe to watch and do not hurt anyone.
Cook said fireballs are brighter than Venus, the brightest object in the night sky after the moon. They tend to last an hour or two longer than the average meteorite, which can be as short as half a second, said Robert Lanceford, the Meteor Society’s fireball report coordinator.
During an asterisk in the 1980s, Lansford said he saw a fireball from the Trid meteorite, which looked like a full moon.
“I remember sitting in my binoculars, the ground burning,” Lanceford said. “I quickly looked to see the meteor.”
Cook currently relies on NASA’s advanced camera system to view turrid meteorites, but as a young man he found one to apply or treat the tactic.
“I was 13 years old, so I was an ugly little teen killer, I saw a very bright turret fireball and I thought it was a lot of fun happening on Halloween,” Cook said.
The comet 2P / NK also originates from the Southern Turid meteor shower, which overlaps with the Northern Tours beginning in September. AMS said it was high on October 29 and 30.
According to AMS, Northern Turid meteorites travel through the sky at 18 miles per second, which is slower than the average meteorite.
According to Cook, the best time to see a meteor shower is after midnight in your local time zone. It is difficult to see light pollution from cities, so go to a place where there are no artificial lights.
The brightness of the moon also affects the visibility of the meteorite. Fortunately, AMS says only 15% of the moon is visible during peak hours.
The Northern Tour Ridges meteor shower is high by mid-November this year but the shower will continue until December 10th. If you miss the Turid meteorite, Don’t worry: the Geminids meteor will rise in mid-December.
“This year, Geminids will be great, because there’s no moon around to ruin the show,” Cook said.
Prone to fits of apathy. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Internet advocate. Avid travel enthusiast. Entrepreneur. Music expert.
