The Bursaushi meteor shower is the most famous annual show of meteors in the sky, which usually occurs from the end of July to the beginning of September every year. When the weather in the Northern Hemisphere is both warm and dark, depending on the conditions, it’s an ideal time to plan camping trips and stargazing trips in suitable environments. But in order not to miss the meteor shower, you need to know what to do when and where. In the following, you will get to know everything you need to know about the meteor shower.
What is a meteor shower?
The meteor shower in Sawashi is considered one of the two most abundant annual showers, which is active from July 26 to September 2 every year and reaches its peak activity around the night of August 21. All meteor showers have a night of peak activity when the largest number of meteors are seen on this night. The peak activity of some meteor showers is short and lasts from minutes to hours, but the peak period of the meteor shower is relatively long. This helps to see a significant number of meteors the next night if the weather is cloudy during the peak activity night. In the night of the peak activity of Barsaushi precipitation, under ideal conditions, up to 100 meteors can be observed every hour.
Combination of images of Barsavoshi meteors in the nights of August 15 to 23, 1397. Photo by Peter Horalek
What is the origin of shower meteors?
This stunning shower is the result of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which last entered the inner solar system in 1992 and will not return to the Sun again until 2126. Some comets, such as Halley’s comet, produce multiple meteor showers, but Swift-Tuttle’s comet only produces one. The shower peak occurs when the Earth passes closest to the path of the Swift-Tuttle Comet’s previous passes. Passing through one of the masses left over from previous passes is rare, and in this case, the rate of meteors will be higher than normal.
Why is the meteor shower known more than other showers?
Barsavashi rain is very beautiful; But the reason for its fame is more due to the suitable observation conditions than the large number of meteors.
This precipitation happens in the middle of summer for the observers of the northern hemisphere of the earth. Other heavy rains occur in the fall and winter of the Northern Hemisphere. Gemini meteor shower on December 22 and 23 and quarter meteor shower on December 13 and 14 reach their peak. The cold air and clouds reduce the possibility of clear skies and fewer people watch the rain.
How to observe the Bersavashi meteor shower?
You need two things to observe Barsavashi meteors, and three things are distractions. Proper timing and tolerance are essential for observing meteor showers. You should go out around midnight on the night of peak rainfall activity and be ready to observe before the sky lights up at around 5 am. Clouds, bright moon and light pollution are your enemies in this way. There’s nothing you can do about clouds. The presence of the moon in the near full moon state in the sky is also out of your control; But you can get away from light pollution by moving away from cities and find an observatory with a dark sky.
Sit in a travel chair or lie on a mat and look up. Give your eyes about 30 minutes to get used to the dark. Do not use a telescope or binoculars and do not look at the mobile screen, because its light will damage your night vision and waste the 30 minutes you spent on it.
Barsaushi meteor showers can appear anywhere in the sky. But it seems that they all originate from a common point, which is located in the constellation Bersavash. The Barsawash constellation rises from the northeast direction after the sky darkens in the month of August and reaches its highest height just before the sky brightens.
Barsavashi rain sparks
The peak of the meteor shower in 1401 will be influenced by the full moon, which will blot out most of the meteors. But still, this night will be one of the best nights of the year to see meteors. Especially because of the fireflies that are sometimes seen in the sky.
Meteors are large and consequently very bright meteors that sometimes reach the brightness of the planet Venus in the sky. These meteors are rare, but they can be easily seen even in cities polluted by man-made lights and under the moonlight.
The more particles that are ejected from a comet, the more likely it is that some of them will be large enough to become fireballs. Barashushi rain is not the best producer of sparks, but it is one of the most reliable sources.
The trail left by the firecrackers can last for about a second, creating an unforgettable sight.
Why is Barsaushi rain so abundant?
The maximum number of meteors that the shower usually creates is about 100 meteors per hour; Of course, under the sky without any light pollution and if you see a view of 360 degrees. Under normal conditions, seeing 30 meteors per hour on the night of peak rainfall is not far from expected.
The reason for the large number of Barsaushi meteors is their parent body, that is, Comet Swift-Tuttle. The nucleus of this comet has a diameter of nearly 26 km, which is one of the largest known comets. The comet’s many passes through the inner solar system over the years have left many particles in its orbit that now ensure a fascinating annual display with little change.
Although Comet Swift-Tuttle will not return to the Sun for another 100 years, the precipitation will not change much during the 21st century. It is possible that when the comet is farthest from the Sun, the number of meteors will decrease by 25%, but this decrease will not be significant due to the scattering of particles throughout the comet’s orbit.
The peak of the meteor shower in 1401
The peak of this rain occurs in 1401 at 5:30 am on August 22. But unfortunately, the moon will illuminate the sky all night and the dim meteors will be hidden from view. However, more meteors are visible on this night than 95% of other nights of the year, so you can try your luck to see them.
As mentioned, the peak of the meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes the closest point to the mass of particles left by the comet. But this time changes every year. The Earth completes its orbit every 365.25 days and reaches exactly the same point in the orbit. This extra 0.25 days adds 6 hours to the peak rainfall time each year.
Therefore, the peak rainfall in 1402 will be at 11:30 in the morning Iran time.
The best time to observe meteor showers is when the focus of the shower is the highest in the sky. For the Brasaushi shower, this time is close to the moment of sunrise, so two hours before sunrise until the sky clears (which starts about 45 minutes before sunrise) is the best time to observe the Brasaushi meteor shower.
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