Like everything in nature, each of the astronomical events has its own imprint. They are different from each other and open up the possibility of enjoying their great wealth. This feature extends to meteor showers that are not all the same and some are more attractive than others. The Alpha Centaurid meteor shower is activated at the beginning of the year, but it is very little known since it is very small, although no less important than the others.
What are the Alpha Centaurids?
The Alpha Centaurids are a meteor shower that extends annually from January 28 to February 21, with its peak around February 8. Every year the Earth passes through a zone in space where it intersects with the remnants of an unknown comet. It should be noted that this is a small meteor shower, despite this they are no less important for scholars of the cosmos who are trying to decipher their origin.
All meteor showers are produced by matrix organisms, which are celestial bodies that have left cosmic dust in certain regions of space. When the Earth comes into contact with such dust and an interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere occurs, It causes the lights we see in the sky known as meteor showers.
The source bodies of almost all the rains produced throughout the year are known, except for one, the Alpha Centaurids. The only thing we know about this meteor shower is that they seem to emanate from the constellation of Centaurus, from where they get their name.
Average stars in the sky
The Alpha Centaurids have a Zenithal Hourly Rate (THZ) equivalent to 6. This means that at their highest point and with the right weather conditions, it is possible to observe only 6 meteors per hour. It is one of the smallest rains that occur in the cosmos, although it is a great mystery because its origin is unknown.
How do meteor showers occur?
We can observe meteor showers, also known as meteor showers, thanks to the fact that the planet intersects with reminiscences of cosmic dust (meteoroids) left by a comet or other space body such as asteroids. Following its movement of translation, the Earth covers large regions around the Sun. When on its journey it crosses an area with the presence of meteoroids, the encounter of these bodies with the atmosphere produces chemical reactions.
Friction causes atmospheric gases to heat the meteoroid to the point of reaching such high temperatures that it ends up shining in the sky. This light produced by the interaction between the meteoroid and the atmosphere is scientifically called a meteor. Hence The correct name for meteor showers is meteor showers.
As we can imagine, the Zenithal Hourly Rate varies greatly since the amount of galactic dust left by different bodies is not always the same. If there are many more particles then there is a good chance to see hundreds of flashes shining in the sky. On the other hand, when the material is scarce, then very few meteors will be produced, as is the case of the Alpha Centaurids. Despite this, they are still an extremely interesting astronomical phenomenon and worth learning about to better understand the cosmos.
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