Lyceum B - Astronomy - Week 39 - Meteoroids, Craters & Auroras
- Aug 22, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 23, 2022
Project - Impact Craters
- 2:42 min
- 3 min
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As a speck of dust speeds through the Earth’s atmosphere, its molecules rub against the gas molecules in the atmosphere. Friction turns this energy of motion into so much heat that the dust particle burns up and the air glows white-hot. This is what we see as the shining tail of the meteor.
Demonstrating Friction
You can demonstrate the force of friction by rapidly rubbing your hands together. You can feel the force of friction as it pushes against your hands working against the action of rubbing your hands together. Your hands will become hot as the energy of movement is turned into heat energy.
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Meteor in a shower travel in parallel paths, but when they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, they appear to spread out from a point in the sky called the radiant.
The shower takes its name from the constellation in which its radiant lies.
Experiment - why Meteors Spread Out
Need: sticks of dry spaghetti noodles, a plate and plastic putty
Spread the putty out on the plate in an even sheet, thick enough to hold the spaghetti sticks upright
Push the spaghetti sticks into the putty so that they stand upright in a close formation.
The spaghetti sticks will represent the particles of dust in a meteor shower as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
Look straight down on the plate of spaghetti sticks. From this point of view it will appear as though the spaghetti sticks are spreading out from the center of the plate. This is what a meteor shower looks like from the point of view from Earth.
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