The peak of the Esadi meteor shower in the morning of November 27; No moonlight, but less than ever

According to the statement of the director of the Iranian Amateur Astronomy Association, the peak of the Esadi meteor shower will occur in the morning of Saturday, November 27, and its non-coincidence with the moon provides ideal observation conditions.

Engineer Masoud Atighi, director of the Iranian Amateur Astronomy Association, announced that this year’s Esadi meteor shower will reach its peak in the morning of November 27, and the dark sky without the disturbance of the moonlight will provide very favorable conditions for observation. However, he emphasized that, contrary to the expectation of the Asadi shower in 1404, it has a calm and subdued face in terms of the number of meteors; Because its ZHR is only about 15 meteors per hour. Atighi reminded that these meteor showers have shown stunning shows in the past decades and recorded up to 5,000 meteors per hour at their historical peak.

Return of Esadi meteor shower after two decades

According to the director of the Iranian Amateur Astronomy Association, the Esadi meteor shower, as one of the most well-known celestial events of the year, will reach its peak on the night of Monday, November 26, 1404, and the dark sky in the morning of Tuesday, November 27 will also host the heavenly guests of this shower. He emphasized that despite the fact that during this period the light of the moon is not an obstacle for observation and the conditions of seeing the sky are favorable, but contrary to expectations, the number of visible meteors will not be very high; Because a long time has passed since the comet of the mother of this shower passed near the earth.

Pointing to the origin of this shower, Atigi added that the main source of Asadi meteors is the famous comet Temple-Tuttle 55P, which completes its orbit around the sun every 33 years. This comet last passed close to the sun in March 1376, and the same passage caused the earth to face a significant shower of meteors when it passed through its dusty remnants in the last years of the solar 70s.

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According to the director of the Iranian Amateur Astronomy Association, this shower left a memorable record on November 27, 1378, and in the early morning hours of the same day, its zenith rate (ZHR) reached about 5,000 meteors per hour; A number that made the sky of Iran and many parts of the world bright and unforgettable. He reminded that in solar years 1212 and 1345, the precipitation of Asdi had reached exceptional peaks, even up to 100,000 meteors per hour, and turned this phenomenon into one of the most brilliant natural shows in the history of sky observation.

In explaining the future of this phenomenon, Atigi added that it is expected that around 1410 solar year and with the return of comet Temple-Tuttle and its passing through the minimum distance from the sun, the earth will once again enter the area of ​​fresh and dense dust of this comet. As a result of this event, it is likely that the heavy rains will regain their former glory in the past few years. He emphasized that Iranian observers, especially astrophotographers, will face a calmer rain this year, but the lack of moonlight provides a rare opportunity to record the traces of scattered but bright meteors and a more detailed scientific study of their paths.

The bright center of the Asdis at the heart of the constellation Leo

Referring to the scientific details of the Asadi meteor shower this year, Engineer Masoud Atighi explained that the hourly rate of the meteor shower or ZHR is estimated at about 15 meteors per hour. He said that due to the very dim presence of the waning crescent moon in the morning, the observation conditions in the dark sky this year are very favorable and if there is a clear sky without light pollution, most parts of Iran will have the chance to observe meteors across the sky.

He added that by following the opposite direction of the meteors in the sky, you can reach a point where their paths intersect, which is called the center of the shower. The location of this center is in the constellation of Leo, the same place where the Asdi shower got its name. This constellation rises from the eastern horizon at around 2 am in the middle of November and December nights, and as it rises, the visible rate of meteors also increases.

Atighi reminded that the time period of Esadi meteor shower activity continues from November 15 to December 9 every year, but the highest density of meteors is seen near the peak date, which is the morning of November 27. He also said about the physical nature of this phenomenon: “The particles that make up meteors usually have a size of a few millimeters or even micrometers, and when they enter the earth’s atmosphere, they move at a speed of approximately 72 kilometers per second.” This extremely high speed causes a strong friction between air particles and molecules and occurs at an altitude between 80 and 150 km from the earth’s surface.

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He noted that for amateur observers, this event is not only an opportunity to watch the beauty of the night sky, but also provides a training ground for recording and analyzing scientific data. Recording photos with manually controlled cameras, drawing the path of meteors using the sketch method and determining the apparent value are among the activities that are popular among amateur astronomy enthusiasts.

In the end, the director of the Iranian Amateur Astronomy Association introduced the most important meteor shower after Esadi and said: “After the end of this shower period, we should expect the shower of Gemini in late Azar.” Although this shower is one of the richest events of the year in terms of the number of meteors, its peak in the morning of December 23 coincides with the presence of the disturbing light of the moon, which will make it difficult to see weaker meteors, especially in the morning sky when the moonlight is brighter.