Meteor Showers and Sky Events ഉൽക്കാ വർഷവും ആകാശ സംഭവങ്ങളും

Throughout the year, the sky has scheduled events - meteor showers, planetary conjunctions, oppositions, equinoxes, solstices. You don't need to memorise any of them. Orbit tracks them all.

Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by a comet. The tiny particles (often no bigger than a grain of sand) burn up in Earth's atmosphere, producing streaks of light - "shooting stars." Major showers happen at the same time each year because Earth crosses the same debris trails annually. The Perseids (August), Geminids (December), and Leonids (November) are among the most reliable. Rates like "60 per hour" are ideals under perfect conditions - from a city, expect fewer. The Moon is the biggest spoiler: a bright Moon washes out faint meteors.

Conjunctions happen when two planets (or a planet and the Moon) appear very close together in the sky. They make for beautiful naked-eye sights and photo opportunities. Oppositions happen when an outer planet (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) is directly opposite the Sun - meaning it rises at sunset, is visible all night, and is at its brightest.