Meteor Showers and their Parent Comets is a unique handbook for astronomers interested in observing meteor storms and outbursts. Spectacular displays of 'shooting stars' are created when the Earth's orbit crosses a meteoroid stream, as each meteoroid causes a bright light when it enters our atmosphere at high speed. Jenniskens, an active meteor storm chaser, explains how meteoroid streams originate from the decay of meteoroids, comets and asteroids, and how they cause meteor showers on Earth. He includes the findings of recent space missions to comets and asteroids, the risk of meteor impacts on Earth, and how meteor showers may have seeded the Earth with ingredients that made life possible. All known meteor showers are identified, accompanied by fascinating details on the most important showers and their parent comets. The book predicts when exceptional meteor showers will occur over the next fifty years, making it a valuable resource for both amateur and professional astronomers.

Provides an introduction to comets, covering where they come from, how they travel, their importance to astronomers, as well as their relationship to meteor showers.

Publisher description

Meteor showers are among the most spectacular celestial events that may be observed by the naked eye, and have been the object of fascination throughout human history. In “Meteor Showers: An Annotated Catalog,” the interested observer can access detailed research on over 100 annual and periodic meteor streams in order to capitalize on these majestic spectacles. Each meteor shower entry includes details of their discovery, important observations and orbits, and gives a full picture of duration, location in the sky, and expected hourly rates. Armed with a fuller understanding, the amateur observer can better view and appreciate the shower of their choice. The original book, published in 1988, has been updated with over 25 years of research in this new and improved edition. Almost every meteor shower study is expanded, with some original minor showers being dropped while new ones are added. The book also includes breakthroughs in the study of meteor showers, such as accurate predictions of outbursts as well as comet and meteor observations from the 6th century to the 17th century that were not published in the first edition. It holds all of the information needed to inspire a new observer or provide deeper knowledge to the long-time enthusiast.

The International Astronomical Union formalized the naming of meteor showers in 2006. Each newly discovered shower now is assigned a unique and officially recognized name, number, and 3-letter code. Close to a thousand possible meteor showers have since been reported, over a hundred in the cause of writing this book. Atlas of Earth's Meteor Showers takes stock of all reported detections by going back to the combined video and radar data in hand at the end of 2021, in order to weed out duplicates and false detections. Maps were created that show the direction of motion of meteors (their radiant) during 5-day and 10-day intervals throughout the year. All 500+ showers recognized are briefly described from their radiant, speed, and orbital elements, and the meteoroid mass distribution index was calculated. Physical properties of the meteoroids were derived from their beginning, peak and end height, from their deceleration in Earth's atmosphere, and from spectroscopic information. Candidate parent bodies are mentioned and the age of the stream was calculated from the dispersions in orbital elements and from the meteor magnitude distribution index. A brief history is given of the shower's discovery, of when features were first recognized, and of results from dynamical modeling, all with references to the literature. Presents approximately 400 detailed meteor shower maps that show what showers are active on a given night for visual, video, and radar observers Provides thorough descriptions of each shower that can be used in planetary astronomy and for meteor observing sessions, the discovery of new showers, and planetary defense Highlights periodic, unusual showers that may be expected on a given night based on past occurrences that are important to satellite hazard avoidance and meteor storm chasing

Meteors occur when a meteoroid, a speck of dust in space, enters the Earth's atmosphere. The heat generated when this happens causes the surrounding air to glow, resulting in 'shooting stars'. During the most spectacular meteor storms larger particles give rise to fireballs and firework-like displays! Meteors are a delightful observing field - they do not require a telescope, and they can be seen on any clear night of the year, even in bright twilight. It was the sight of a single meteor that inspired David Levy to go into astronomy, and in this book he encourages readers to go outside and witness these wonderful events for themselves. This book is a step-by-step guide to observing meteors and meteor showers. Any necessary science is explained simply and in clearly understandable terms. This is a perfect introduction to observing meteors, and is ideal for both seasoned and budding astronomers.

Explore the amazing science behind meteor showers.