What is the scientific name for starfall? and got the best answer
Answer from Usignolo[guru]
The scientific name for this phenomenon is a meteor shower.
A meteor shower is a phenomenon that occurs in the planet's atmosphere when it meets a meteor swarm - a compact group of meteoroids moving in close orbits and connected by a common origin.
Some of the meteor showers are quite compact: the main swarm of meteor particles is tens of thousands of kilometers wide. Other meteor showers - usually old ones - stretch almost along their entire orbit, and the width of the stream is measured in tens of millions of kilometers.
Each meteor shower revolves around the sun with a constant period, and therefore many of them meet the Earth on certain days of the year. On the days of meeting with a meteor shower, the number of meteors increases sharply, and if the meteor swarm is compact, then meteor or "star" showers are observed.
Invading earth's atmosphere, the particles of a meteor swarm travel along approximately parallel paths, but due to perspective, the meteors appear to be flying out of a limited region of the sky, called the radiation area. If you mentally extend the flight paths of meteors, then they will intersect within the area of their radiation near a point called the radiant of meteor showers. Meteor showers are named after the constellations in which their radiants are located. For example, the meteor shower generated by Halley's comet and operating in the second half of October is called the Orionids, since the radiant of this meteor shower lies in the constellation of Orion.
The intensity of meteor showers varies from year to year, and depending on the nature of the distribution of meteor particles in the swarm, these changes can be significant. An example is the Leonid meteor showers, which caused "star showers" of great intensity in 1799, 1833 and 1866. , and in 1899 and 1932. practically disappeared. However, in 1966 the intensity of the stream turned out to be truly incredible: in 20 minutes it was possible to observe about 150 thousand meteors (for comparison: the meteor showers of the Quadrantids, Perseids and Geminids generate no more than 50 meteors per hour). varies from year to year, and depending on the nature of the distribution of meteor particles in the swarm, these changes can be significant.
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Answer from Good Devil[guru]
Meteor shower (star shower, English meteor shower) - a collection of meteors generated by the invasion of the Earth's atmosphere of a swarm of meteoroids.
Most often, a meteor shower of high intensity (up to a thousand meteors per hour) is called a stellar or meteor shower.
Since meteor swarms occupy well-defined orbits in outer space, then, firstly, meteor showers are observed at a strictly defined time of the year, when the Earth passes the intersection point of the orbits of the Earth and the swarm, and secondly, the radiants of the streams are at a strictly defined point in the sky (constellation).
Do not confuse the concepts of meteor shower and meteor shower. If a meteor shower consists of meteors that burn up in the atmosphere and do not reach the earth, then a meteor shower consists of meteorites that fall to the ground. Previously, they did not distinguish the first from the second, and both of these phenomena were called "rain of fire."
Answer from The GamerPro[newbie]
Like all bodies in nature, stars do not remain unchanged, they are born, evolve, and finally "die". Stars are hot gas balls, the source of energy and radiation in which are thermonuclear reactions, mainly the conversion of hydrogen into helium. This process takes place in the center of the star, where the temperature reaches 15 million kelvins (0.01 degrees Celsius corresponds to 273.16 kelvins). All matter at such a temperature and significant pressure is actually in the state of plasma, an ionized gas. The process of a thermonuclear reaction is somewhat different for stars of the mass of the Sun and for more massive ones (heavier elements such as carbon and nitrogen take part in it), however, the result is everywhere the synthesis of a helium nucleus from four hydrogen nuclei during the release of energy. The content of hydrogen by mass in stars of the solar class is approximately 70-75%, the rest is helium and other elements, the content of which usually does not exceed 1.5-2%.
The visible surface of a star is the photosphere. The temperature of the photosphere is related to such a characteristic of the star as the spectral type. There are seven main classes in total: O, B, A, F, G, K, M (plus ten subclasses from 0 to 9). There is also a division into C0-C9 (carbon), S-stars (with ZrO bands in the spectrum) and a few more not often found. O - the hottest with an effective temperature of more than 25000K and have a blue-white color, M - the coldest with an effective temperature of less than 3500K and have a red color. For example, the Sun has class G2 with an effective temperature of about 5700K. The spectral type is associated with the luminosity class of the star, denoted by Roman numerals from Ia and Ib (supergiants) to VII (white dwarfs). Stars are born in gas and dust clouds of the interstellar medium due to clumps of matter formed as a result of external perturbations, for example, after a supernova explosion. The substance under the action of gravitational forces begins to condense and heat up. When a certain mass of a protostar is reached, the temperature reaches the value at which nuclear reactions begin. The duration of this process depends on the mass. For stars with the mass of the Sun, this takes up to 30 million years, while for more massive stars it takes a hundred times less. It should be noted that for stars with a larger mass, all processes go much faster than for less massive ones. The subsequent stage of a star's life passes without noticeable external changes for a rather long period (about 10 billion years for stars such as the Sun, and no more than 0.5 billion years for several times larger masses). During this period, the process of burning hydrogen in the core of the star takes place. At the same time, the brightness and size remain constant, since the gravitational forces are balanced by the pressure of the gas inside the star.
The main parameters of stars are mass, radius, luminosity, effective temperature, spectral type, magnitude. It is extremely difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to determine the exact numerical values of some parameters of stars due to their considerable remoteness, therefore, when describing them, relative values are often used, for example, in comparison with the Sun, as a typical main sequence star (which will be discussed later).
Mass is the main parameter that determines the entire evolution of a star, the processes occurring inside it, life expectancy, as well as other parameters at all stages of its existence. The masses of stars are approximately 1/20 to 100 times the mass of the Sun. The lower limit is actually the minimum value of the mass at which, due to gravitational energy, the core of the future star is able to heat up to the temperature at which it is possible to maintain a thermonuclear reaction.
The radii of stars vary over a wider range than the masses. Dwarf stars can have radii 10 times smaller than the sun, while giant stars are 1000 times larger. As a result, shine
End of every summer marked by a magnificent and unsurpassed event in its beauty: starfall. Everyone can watch it and there is hardly a person who will remain indifferent to this spectacle.
What are the legends about?
Since ancient times, a huge number of signs and superstitions have been associated with the fall of a star. Perhaps even a child knows that when a star falls, you need to make your most cherished wish, and it will certainly come true. ancient legend says that each person has his own star. It lights up in the sky when a person is born, and after his death, she hurries to fall to the ground and go out. At this moment, she fulfills any desire made by a person. If a person did not have time to make a wish, it means that he does not want something too much, or his wish simply will not come true.
According to another legend, a shooting star is an angel who hurries to Earth to give a soul to a newly born person. The stars meant souls that did not have a body, falling to the ground, they gained it.
In ancient times, people believed that the shooting stars are the arrows of the Gods, who are at war with evil forces. Each nation has its own superstitions associated with a shooting star. So, the Muslims personified it with an evil enemy, the Slavs believed that a shooting star means death, and in the Scandinavian countries it was a forgiven soul. In addition, there is a sign that when a person sees a shooting star, he will get sick and will never recover. 
scientific point of view
However, science has long known that stars do not fall anywhere. A star is a large ball of hot gas. The size of the stars is several times the size of the Earth, so it is difficult to imagine what would happen if hundreds of such balls suddenly fell from the sky and flew in the direction of our planet. However, something definitely falls against the background of a dark sky, and more than one thousand people have already witnessed this most beautiful action.
In fact, what is commonly called a shooting star is just a rock that has crossed the earth's atmosphere. During the flight, it heats up to such a temperature that it begins to glow and leaves a bright streak behind it. After some time, the stone burns down, and its trace disappears without a trace. These stones are named Thousands of such meteors fly through the sky every day. Some stones that could reach the earth are called meteorites. The largest of them fell in Africa, its weight is 60 tons. 
Why is it in August that you can observe the largest starfall? The fact is that at this time our planet passes through the area of dust particles that it releases. The smallest particles, falling into the Earth's atmosphere, burn out and create the effect of starfall. You can observe this beautiful phenomenon from any point. the globe, and it is not necessary to have special equipment. The next time the comet will pass near the earth is only in 2126. Until that time, we will be able to observe other starfalls, but, alas, they will not be so bright and impressive.
A shooting star in the starry sky has always excited the human imagination. She was associated with various legends, endowed magical properties. Even now, having seen in the sky, people are trying to make a wish, which must certainly come true. But why do the stars fall? Now that people know much more about the cosmos than in ancient times, we can answer this question.
heavenly bodies
Before you know why stars fall, you need to sort out the very concept of "stars". From Earth, they look like small luminous dots. They are scattered across the sky in bizarre patterns and appear to our eyes only at night.
In fact, the stars are always shining. These are hot cosmic bodies, gas balls of huge mass, inside which nuclear explosions constantly occur. chemical reactions. The transformation of helium, hydrogen and other elements and creates a glow. They are at a very large distance from our planet, so we see them as dots.
Only one star is best presented to us - the Sun. It is closest to the Earth, so we can not only clearly see its light, but also feel its warmth. On the surface, the temperature of the Sun is 5700 K, inside - about 15,700,000 K. Like all objects in space, stars are not static and move in the Universe, but they do it more slowly and smoothly than planets and comets. Their apparent movement across the sky is explained only by the movement of the Earth relative to them, and the real movement can be seen only after millions of years.
Why are the stars falling?
The high internal pressure and internal gravity forces help the stars to keep their balance. They never fall. This is just an expression that has taken root since the days when all objects in the night sky were considered stars.
Our planet is constantly attacked by cosmic bodies - meteoroids. All of them are dust, pieces of stones and metals - the remains of comets and asteroids. They develop tremendous speed (above 13 km / s), and when they collide with the Earth's atmospheric dome, they simply light up. At the same time, streaks of light appear in the sky for a fraction of a second - meteors, which we take for shooting stars. Most cosmic bodies immediately burn up in the atmosphere. Large burning bodies are called fireballs, and those who still manage to fall to the surface of the Earth are called meteorites.
Sometimes not a single meteor appears in the sky, but a whole stream or “star shower”. It is formed by a comet that loses its particles due to a strong approach to the Sun. The fragments continue to move in its orbit and from time to time can intersect with the Earth. We see it as a lot of shooting stars.
"Star showers" are observed at a certain time and in a specific region of the sky. Usually they are attributed to the constellations near which they are visible. Thus, there are Perseids, Aquarids, Orionids, Leonids, Lyrids, Draconids, etc. currently About 64 meteor showers are known.
Perseids
Why do stars fall at the end of summer? The regular meteor shower in August is arranged by the Perseids. The meteor shower has been appearing near the constellation Perseus since July 17, but is best seen on the night of August 12-13. They are formed by the comet Swift-Tuttle, discovered back in 1862.
It passes by the Earth only once every 135 years, but our planet encounters a plume of dust from its tail every year. The Perseids are considered one of the strongest currents. In one hour of observations, you can see up to 100 meteors.
Orionids
Another famous stream is the Orionids. They are formed thanks to Halley's comet, which can be seen in 2061. The Orionids appear in the sky twice a year - in early May and on the 20th of October. In autumn, they pass through the constellation of Orion, the maximum activity occurs on October 21. In the spring they "come out" from Aquarius and are called Aquarids.
Draconids
The Draconid meteor shower is variable. Its power varies from year to year. In 1933, up to a thousand meteors per hour could be observed, in 2011 their number did not exceed 300, although this is a rather large figure.
Draconids are visible from October 6 to October 10, and their greatest activity occurs on October 8. They are visible in the Northern Hemisphere and are best observed before dawn. The Draconids were born by comet Giacobini-Zinner. It revolves around the Sun with a period of 6.6 years, and will pass near the Earth in September 2018.
Shooting stars in mythology
When stars fall, this process becomes a completely prosaic phenomenon, ordinary space debris that burns up when it meets the planet's atmosphere. But before they were perceived quite differently. They were considered fading souls of people or souls that fly to Earth to be reborn as babies.
The ancient Slavs considered meteors to be evil spirits. They were called flyers, flyers, perennials, firemen. Spirits came in the form of a dragon, a beautiful young man or girl. Falling from the sky, they appeared to lonely people, longing for their beloved, taking all their life energy from them.
Later meteors endowed positive qualities. They have become symbols of hope and good news. Until today, there has been a sign that you need to have time to make a wish while the star is falling, and then it will certainly come true.
At the end of almost every summer, you can enjoy an unusually beautiful spectacle - a plentiful starfall, when the sky at night is illuminated by luminous paths. Sometimes these are single "footprints", sometimes it's a real fiery rain. In especially "harvest" years, many people specially go to night festivities to admire this spectacle. Lovers kiss in the light of Romance, quietly thrilled by the sight of the colored sky, poets write poetry. What is another name for shooting stars?
Superstitions and legends
The most famous and used sign: when you see a shooting star, you need to make a wish. I managed before it went out - the desire will come true. If you didn’t have time, either you don’t need it, or you don’t really want it.
A much less well-known myth, to which religious people are more inclined: a shooting star is an angel who carries the soul of a newborn.
The ancient Greeks believed that the shooting star was a divine spear or arrow directed against the forces of evil. For the Slavs, she personified death, for the Scandinavians - the soul that people and gods forgave, for Muslims - a strong and vicious enemy.
scientific explanation
Meanwhile, even older students have long known that a star cannot fall. It is a huge ball of gas of unimaginable temperature. And if at least one such star crashes to Earth, there will probably be no dust left from the latter. So what do scientists call shooting stars?
In fact, a colorful trace in the sky is left by a stone that has entered the uppermost layers of the earth's atmosphere. From friction with air, it heats up and begins to glow. Here's how. In another way, shooting stars are called "meteors" if they are small in size and burn out completely at a distance of eight to ten dozen kilometers, still in the atmosphere. Some meteors are so small that without binoculars, or even a telescope, it is impossible to see their path.
What is another name for shooting stars, the “fragments” of which reach the ground? They are large and most enter the atmosphere relatively slowly, allowing the air to slow them down. It looks like a meteorite that rushes through the sky with a roar and roar, and after falling leaves a crater on the surface. I must say that "stones" of this size, and even flying into at the right angle and at the appropriate speed, are quite rare, so the fall of each of them is imprinted in human memory for a long time (the same Tunguska or the one that fell in Africa).
Sources of shooting stars
Individual meteorites are found at any time of the year. This is due to the fact that some random was captured magnetic field our (and any other) planet. Massive meteorite attacks are another matter (as shooting stars are called differently, we have already found out).
Astronomers have accurately established that showers of shooting stars only give rise to comets. This cosmic phenomenon itself is contained in a solid body (usually ice, but there are also stone variants; although even ice comets contain solid inclusions). When the comet approaches the star, the temperature of which goes off scale, the ice evaporates, taking with it the solid components of the nucleus. The tail is made up of microscopic dust particles carried away by what is called the "solar wind". Larger (and therefore heavier) pebbles are beyond the power of the wind. As a result, they create a donut around, called the "torus" by astronomers. And if the specified bagel falls into the planet's gravity field, we have star rain.
Starfall as a phenomenon
There are two noteworthy meteor showers. One of them is called the Leonids, the other the Perseids, by name from which they optically emanate. The first of them delight with waterfalls of stars through long years, but the second - every summer. All because the flow celestial bodies that the Earth encounters also has its age. If he is “young”, the starfall will be plentiful, if he has already repeatedly met with our planet (and maybe with others on his way), then his “stone warriors” have already been fairly thinned out.
Why August?
What is most interesting, the August "star showers" regularly come from year to year. Astronomers agree on why stars fall in August and not in another month. They believe that the culprit is the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet, through which the Earth passes at this particular time. What is good about this starfall? Those that are available to anyone do not need any special equipment, and it does not matter where in the world you are. It looks good, and it pleases ordinary people and not just astronomers.
Of course, there are more spectacular showers of stars. For example, the same Perseids promise simply grandiose fireworks! Astronomers are looking forward to it. It is believed that the Earth has not seen a more magnificent starfall (in any case, there is no recorded evidence). But! The promised will have to wait until 2126. It is unlikely that even children born just a day ago will live to this moment. So let's enjoy what is available to us now!
MOU "GYMNASIUM 18"
PROJECT BY THEME
WHAT IS STARFALL?
I've done the work
2nd grade student "B"
Zinoviev Oleg
Stary Oskol 2010
Tasks:
111) to find out what is starfall;
2 ) 2) understand why this phenomenon occurs;
3) characterize the falling "stars".
INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT.
This topic quite relevant today. Each person should know about the Universe at least that little part that is in children's encyclopedias. However, not every one of us can answer the most elementary questions related to space. Including the question of what a meteor shower is and why "stars" fall.
1. GETTING STARTED WITH THE VALUE OF THE EXPRESSION
"STAR RAIN"
What then falls from the sky, captivating people with its beauty and mystery?
Star rain" (in other words - starfall, meteor shower) we call the appearance in the night sky of many falling "stars" (sometimes up to 1000 in one minute!). This phenomenon is caused by the meeting of the Earth with a cosmic swarm of solid particles - meteoroids.
2. WHY DID I BRING THIS SUBJECT?
When I was very young, I loved to look at the dark starry sky. And he was very surprised when he saw small shiny dots quickly flying over it. They flew by so fast that I sometimes did not have time to notice them. And then my grandmother or mother told me: "Don't worry, it's August now, and the stars are falling very often." How so? Stars - they are very big, whole planets, and suddenly they fall? And where do they fall? And why?
I have grown up, but I still like to look at the night sky. And now a lot has become clear to me. I learned something from children's encyclopedias, something from the programs of the Discovery channel, something from the Internet. In fact, stars do not fall from the sky. A star is a huge hot ball of hot gas. Its size is several times larger than the size of the Earth. It is hard to imagine what will happen to all of us if something like this one day falls from heaven in the direction of the Earth.
3. THE PURPOSE OF MY WORK BECAME:
to trace the process of starfall, find out if the stars are falling and understand why August is the peak of starfall. In addition, read as much literature on the topic as possible and develop your horizons.
4. WHAT DID I LEARN?
What we take to be a shooting star is just a rock that came from outer space and crossed the earth's atmosphere.
As it flies, it heats up so much that it flashes with bright stripes and begins to glow. A moment passes and the stone burns out, and its stellar trail disappears. Such particles of interplanetary dust are called meteors. During the day, there are thousands of stellar flares in the Earth's atmosphere, their brightness depends on the magnitude.
A meteor shower is formed as a result of the breakup of comets.
Over time, the material of the collapsed comet is almost evenly distributed along the entire orbit of the former comet.
In August, the Earth approaches one such "trail", which is why many meteors are observed.
August starfalls were observed by the ancient peoples, who thousands of years ago called them the golden rain of Zeus. The ancient Arabs believed that these were fiery arrows thrown by heavenly angels in the fight against demons. Particles of interplanetary dust, entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, burn up in it, turning into meteors - short-term flashes that sweep across the sky and disappear, leaving a narrow luminous trail for a few seconds. This trail is colloquially referred to as a "shooting star".
"Star rain" pours into the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 11 to 73 km / s, flares up at an altitude of 120 kilometers and goes out at an altitude of 70 kilometers.
Meteorites have different names depending on their size. The smallest (no more than a pea),
are considered meteors. As they enter the atmosphere, they evaporate and
leave a luminous trail, similar to the fall of a star.
Larger bodies that burn up before reaching the Earth,
are called fireballs. The flight of the car may be accompanied by
a sound (but not always) similar to a rustle.
The largest space "guests" do not have time
burn out from friction in the atmosphere and fall to the surface of the Earth -
are called meteorites (meteor bodies).
5. CONCLUSIONS
The starry sky and everything connected with it is a mystery that nature has given us. A riddle that ancient people tried to answer when they simply followed the stars and planets with their eyes. A riddle that we, the current schoolchildren, have to answer. How many more unknown and unknown the UNIVERSE keeps in itself... And how many more questions remain unanswered... Everything is ahead of us!
