Andy’s Astronomy: Fireball Spotted Over Georgia

The Summer Solstice passed early last Sunday morning.

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice also represents the first official day of summer and there are hot days ahead.

With the passing of the Summer Solstice, the days will become shorter. Not noticeable at first, but it will be happening.

This is because the Earth is not straight up and down, but rather tilted on its axis by 23.44 degrees, which accounts for the seasons. During the summer, the Northern Hemisphere is pointed more directly at the Sun, hence the temperatures are warmer. During the winter, the Northern Hemisphere is pointed more indirectly at the Sun, resulting in cooler temperatures.

The Southern Hemisphere is exactly the opposite and has now officially started winter.

The shortest day of the year will take place on Dec. 21, which will be the Winter Solstice.

Skywatchers could be seeing some meteors toward the end of next week.

The Alpha Capricornids should begin July 3 and will last until Aug. 15. This is a minor meteor shower that only produces about five meteors per hour at peak activity, which should take place during the overnight hours of July 30-31. Unfortunately a nearly full moon could interfere with watching for the meteors.

The Southern Delta Aquariids should begin July 12 and last until Aug. 23. This meteor shower is best visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Meteors visible from the Northern Hemisphere will likely be very low on the southern horizon. Peak activity will be the overnight hours of July 30-31.

A much better meteor shower, the Perseids should begin July 17 and last until Aug. 24. More on this meteor shower next week.

Meteors can flash across the sky anytime, day or night, and they are spotted quite often. Particularly bright meteors are often referred to as fireballs.

On Wednesday, June 17, a fireball was reported by 13 people across Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The fireball was first reported at 10:37 pm by a skywatcher in Charlotte, NC. It was seen as far north as Durham, NC, as far east as Myrtle Beach, SC, as far south as Pooler, GA, and as far west as Atlanta, GA. Other skywatchers in Georgia spotting the fireball were from Augusta, Metter, and Statham

None of those spotting the fireball reported any noise associated with it and no one witnessed it fragment. The fireball appeared to travel from east to west.

Anyone seeing a fireball is urged to report the sighting to https://amsmeteors.org

Going outside and looking at the night sky can be fun and educational for the entire family.

There are a number of free apps available to help identify stars and constellations, and some of the apps will show satellites.

Happy skywatching!