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The Sky is Falling - Page 2

© Debbie St. Germain

The chances of any of you having that experience are very slim, thankfully. Meteoroids are actually very small. In fact, most are as small as a grain of sand. Thousands of meteorites fall to the earth without being noticed. The other advantage we have is our atmosphere. Meteoroids are burned up once they enter the atmosphere. Take a look at the moon. It has no atmosphere and it is filled with craters. In fact, statistics show that a meteorite hits a human only once in every ten thousand years.

The biggest threat from the Leonids may be the damage they inflict on the satellites orbiting earth. More than the physical damage, scientists say the creation of free electrical charges could be worse. It may cause damage to the computers and sensitive electronic circuits aboard the satellites. If you notice any interruption in your TV or radios in mid-November, perhaps it was a meteor. NASA and the Russian Space Agency have both postponed any new launches until the storms have passed.

Their are many mythsand theories surrounding meteors and other small bodies. The Blackfeet of Montana believed a meteor was a sign that sickness would come to the tribe in the coming winter, or that a great chief had just died. Many scientists believe that a giant asteroid is what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. The impact would cause enough dust to block out the sunlight for as long as 5 years. Plants and animals depending on the sun would have died off during this period, including dinosaurs.

ACTIVITIES:

So how can you see a meteor? The best time for viewing is after midnight and before sunrise. You need to find a dark area away from lights for best viewing. It's a wait and see game. Lie in a chair, look up and keep your eyes peeled to the sky and you may get lucky enough to see one. If you live on the northern continents, the best time to view the Leonids are a few hours before dawn, on the 17'th and 18'th of November.

What do you look for? Meteors may have different colors depending on their chemical composition. They have also been know to have different shapes as they come into our atmosphere. This is commonly called Anomalous Meteor Phenomena. If you do see a meteor, write down the location in the sky and direction. You can verify the sighting by checking with the sites listed here or on the links section in astronomy.

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