METEOROID TEMPERATURE WINDOWS

Venus orbits the Sun at a distance of 67-million miles (108-million kilometres). Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun, and it’s the hottest planet in the solar system. However, without an atmosphere to distribute temperature around the planet, nighttime temperatures drop as low as minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 180 degrees Celsius). During the day, Mercury experiences temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius). Without an atmosphere, Mercury cannot regulate its surface temperature, so that temperatures can change drastically depending on the amount of sunlight. Mercury may be the closest planet to the Sun, but it does not have a significant atmosphere.

Despite being the closest planet to the Sun at a distance of 36-million miles (58-million kilometres), Mercury is not the hottest planet in the solar system. However, the temperature of the planets does not follow a linear path from the Sun. The four inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, are warmer than the outer gas giants. Significant meteor showers are announced on our Spacewatch page.The Inner Planets The Inner Planets of Our Solar System: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and MarsĪs one might expect, the planets closest to the Sun are the warmest. For that reason, the hours between midnight and dawn are typically the best time to watch a meteor shower. This part of the planet tends to 'catch' oncoming meteors left by a comet, whereas the other side of Earth, where it is dusk or late evening, outruns the debris. The part of Earth where dawn is breaking is always at the leading edge of our planet's plunge along its orbital path around the Sun. Meteors come from other sources, too, but comet debris streams are the source of sometimes dramatic meteor showers. Small bits burn up in the atmosphere, creating meteors. As Earth orbits the sun, it passes through this debris field spread across its path. When a comet nears the sun, a trail of dust and other debris burns off and remains in solar orbit. It was the first crater that was proved to be caused by a meteorite impact, which occurred between 20,000 and 50,000 years ago. The rim rises 150 feet from the surrounding plain, and the hole is 600 feet deep and nearly a mile wide. The most famous meteorite crater in the United States is misnamed Meteor Crater. The meteorite was found buried 10 feet deep in the ground. Witnesses saw a giant fireball in the afternoon that some said was brighter than the sun. The largest meteorite recovered in the United States fell in a wheat field in southern Nebraska in 1948. Now, the prevailing theory holds that a meteor exploded just above the surface. No meteorite was ever found, and for years many scientists thought the devastation was caused by a comet. Small particles blown into the atmosphere lit the night sky for several days.

METEOROID TEMPERATURE WINDOWS

It exploded, sending out hot winds and loud noises and shook the ground enough to break windows in nearby villages.

Across hundreds of miles, witnesses of the Tunguska event saw a ball of fire streak through the sky, suggesting the meteor entered the atmosphere at an oblique angle. One of the most significant meteorite events in recent history destroyed hundreds of square miles of forest in Siberia on June 30, 1908. By then the first handful of asteroids had been discovered, and a new theory emerged suggesting meteorites were broken bits off asteroids or other planets. In 1807, a fireball exploded over Connecticut, and several meteorites rained down. Many scientists were skeptical that stones could fall from the clouds or the heavens, and often they simply didn't believe the accounts of people who claimed to have seen such things. As late as the 17th century, many believed they fell from thunderstorms (they were nicknamed 'thunderstones'). Others thought the gods were displaying their anger. Meteorites (the pieces that make it to Earth) were long ago thought to be cast down as gifts from angels. But misunderstandings about meteors lasted longer than they did about most other celestial objects. In ancient times, objects in the night sky conjured superstition and were associated with gods and religion.

Meteoroid temperature