December Asteroid Shower

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:13 am

Here's another "meteor shower" show for Friday....hope it's not a dud like the one in the beginning of November. Hope it's good....I'll be on the beach in my jammies with hot coffee and the local fishermen.:-6

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007 ... ?list15915

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:14 am

That sounds cool!

Post by **spot** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 8:42 am

Collision events in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter provide the main source of near-Earth asteroids. Very rarely the solar system experiences family-forming events which boost the rate of Earth impacts in the form of asteroid showers lasting millions of years. We haven't had one in a long long while. What's happening on Friday is the result of a comet breaking up in the nineteenth century, the broken fragments are still whirling round. If you ever get an asteroid shower you'll hear a lot of banging outside and you'd best find a cave to hide in.