What is the Perseid Meteor Shower?

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Salient Features Of World’S Physical Geography

Why in the News?

The Perseid meteor shower, which began in July, is currently at its peak activity from August 11 to 13, 2024.

About Perseid Meteor Shower

	Details
Origin	Named after the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to originate.
Cause	Caused by debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle as it orbits the Sun.
How It Occurs	Consists of ice, rock, and dust particles shed by *Comet Swift-Tuttle. Earth passes through this debris* field annually between mid-July and late August. Particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at around 214,000 km/h, causing them to heat up and create bright streaks of light.
Discovery	The connection between the Perseid meteor shower and Comet Swift-Tuttle was established in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle.
Historical Observations	Observed for centuries, with records dating back to ancient Chinese, Japanese, and European civilizations.
Impact of Earth’s Gravity	Earth’s gravity pulls particles from the debris field, causing them to enter the atmosphere. Larger particles can create fireballs—bright meteors that are more intense and last longer.

Note: In the 1990s, scientists feared comet Swift-Tuttle might hit Earth or the Moon in 2126, but later calculations confirmed safety for two millennia.

PYQ:

[2011] What is the difference between asteroids and comets?

Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by rocky and metallic material.
Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and Mercury.
Comets show a perceptible glowing tail, while asteroids do not.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

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