Schools : Here comes the Orionid meteor shower !

étoiles filantes 

© Luna Joulia

https://www.elle.fr/

Bonne nouvelle! Depuis cette nuit, le 20 octobre et jusqu’au 7 novembre, une pluie de météores permettra d’observer nombre d’étoiles filantes, avec un pic maximum dans la nuit du 20 au 21 octobre. Préparez vos vœux!

Eh! Oui! La magie des étoiles filantes nous touche de très près. On aime faire nos voeux et les envoyer directement à chaque étoile filante qu'on voit!

Les amoureux d’étoiles faites attention à vos voeux. Moi aussi, si j'ai la chance de faire les miens.

On est ravis d’apprendre que ce soir, la nuit du 20 au 21 octobre, on pourra avoir ce plaisir habituellement estival. On continue en anglais?

Orionid meteor shower/ Falling stars

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/

Love shooting stars? Then you’ll love the Orionid Meteor Shower, the second meteor shower of October, which peaks October 21-22 each year.

One of the best sky shows of the year, will peak between Oct. 20 and 22, when the Orionid meteor shower reaches its best viewing. 

They’ll probably be most prolific in the few hours before dawn on October 21, but we can try watching before dawn on October 22, too.

An image of Halley's Comet taken in 1986

Credit: NASAhttps://www.space.com/

The meteors that streak across the sky are some of the fastest and brightest among meteor showers, because the Earth is hitting a stream of particles almost head on.

The particles come from Comet 1P/Halley, better known as Halley’s Comet. This famous comet swings by Earth every 75 to 76 years, and as the icy comet makes its way around the sun, it leaves behind a trail of comet crumbs. At certain times of the year, Earth's orbit around the sun crosses paths with the debris. 

Orion
https://www.space.com/

Tonight, could we watch meteors in the annual Orionid shower? 

Scientists say that we have a good chance, even though this morning before dawn might have presented the peak numbers. 

We can watch pieces of Halley's Comet during the Eta Aquarids (in May) and the Orionid meteor shower (in October and November), NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke said. 

The comet last visited Earth in 1986 and will return next in 2061.

• Orionids:

The Orionids are named after the direction from which they appear to radiate, which is near the constellation Orion (The Hunter). 

The Orionids, which peak during mid-October each year, are considered to be one of the most beautiful showers of the year. 

If the meteors originate from Comet Halley, why are they called the Orionids? 

The answer is that meteors in annual showers are named for the point in our sky from which they appear to radiate. The radiant point for the Orionids is in the direction of the constellation Orion the Hunter. Hence the name Orionids.

via EarthSky

Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and for their speed. These meteors are fast - they travel at about 148,000 mph (66 km/s) into the Earth's atmosphere. 

Fast meteors can leave glowing "trains" (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes. 

Fast meteors can also sometimes become fireballs: Look for prolonged explosions of light when viewing the Orionid meteor shower.

The Orionids are also framed by some of the brightest stars and planets in the night sky, which lend a spectacular backdrop for theses showy meteors.

NASA

Skywatchers in 2017 will not have moonlight to contend with, as the first-quarter moon will have set long before the meteors put on their best show. 

If you miss the peak, the show is also visible between Oct. 15 and 29, as long as the moon isn't washing the meteors out.

Sometimes the shower peaks at 80 meteors an hour; at others it is closer to 20 or 30. Cooke predicted that in 2017, the peak would be at the smaller end of the scale, echoing the peaks of 2016 and years before.

• The show in October 2025:

Get ready stargazers! The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley's Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.

The 2025 Orionid meteor shower peak begins overnight on Oct. 20-21, when 10-20 shooting stars may be visible streaking across the night sky from a point of origin known as a "radiant", located close to the red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion.

Orion

credits: credit: manpuku7 via Getty Images

While tonight is the peak, Orionid shooting stars can be seen from Oct. 2 to Nov. 7 as Earth passes through the debris trail shed by comet 1P/Halley. During that time, particles cast off from that ancient body collide with our planet at speeds of up to 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second), burning up in a magnificent display as they're overwhelmed by the friction of atmospheric entry.

Orionid meteors will be visible to skywatchers in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (weather permitting).

To see the Orionid meteor shower at its best, go to the darkest possible location, lean back and relax. You don't need equipment like telescopes or binoculars as the secret is to take in as much sky as possible and allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.

The best time to view the Orionid meteor shower is between midnight and dawn when the shower's radiant, the Orion constellation, is high in the sky.

 credits: Eerik via Getty Images

http://brilliantmaps.com/light-pollution/

As it's the case with most night time sky watching events, light pollution can hinder your view of the Orionid meteor shower. If possible, get far away from city lights (which can hinder the show). 

Typically, Orionid meteors are dim and hard to see from urban locations, so you should find a dark (and safe) rural location to get the best views of Orionid activity. 

The Orionids are active from Sept. 26 to Nov. 22 according to the American Meteor Society and will peak between Oct. 20 and Oct. 21. 

This year, the moon will not interfere with Orionid meteor shower hunting efforts as it will be in the new moon phase during the peak. 

Note: To calculate sunrise and moonrise times in your location check out this custom sunrise-sunset calculator.

meteor showers infographic
credits: Nasa Meteor American Society
https://www.space.com/

Education:

Most of us are excited about Orionid shower. Science students too. Do you remember the Summer Solstice 2016 & ‘Strawberry (June 2016)? Or Catch Some Falling Stars, the Quadrantids (January 2016). Don't miss Eta Aquarid meteor shower (May 2016), Here comes the 2nd Supermoon, the Mega Beaver moon (November 2016), Stay up & watch the Total Eclipse ! (August 2017). Wow what a sky! And so many educational resources.

It's school time to teachers and students. So, prepare your students to sky watching and ask them to do some good shots, or videos with smartphones, or tablets to discuss the theme tomorrow or next lesson. May be compare it with the Perseid meteor shower of last year?

The science curriculum will be enhanced with the help of this incredible event.

Meteor showers aren’t just one-night events. In fact, they can last for several days

Do you want a better science lesson ? Enjoy the show!

Hoping to be lucky! The sky is bright. Could I send my wishes tonight?  

“Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.”  

G-Souto 

20.10.2017

update: 20.10.2025

Copyright © 2025G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Schools : Here comes the Orionid meteor showers ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sources: Space.com/ NASA/ EarthSky

Schools : Women in Science, Caroline Herschel, the astronomer !

Caroline Herschel 

credits: Sheila Terry/Science Photo Library

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35823012

Long before women were allowed to become Fellows of the Royal Society, or obtain university degrees, one woman managed to get her voice heard, her discovery verified and her achievement celebrated. That woman was Caroline Herschel, who managed to find ways to fit comet discoveries into her domestic life, and present them in ways that were socially acceptable.

The Royal Society

Herschel page of sketches accompanying her letter showing the comet against various combinations of stars ‘a, b and c’

Copyright The Royal Society

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/

Caroline Herschel made a significant contribution to the field of Astronomy. She discovered her comets at a time when astronomers were mainly concerned with position, identifying where things were and how they were moving. 

• Google Doodle:

Caroline Herschel’s 266th Birthday

Doodler: Juliana Chen

https://www.google.com/doodles/

On this day, the 16th March was born Anna Atkins, a botanist and first woman photographer. Google honored Anna Atkins, last year, 2015.

Today’s Google doodle is dedicate to another woman in science, born on the same day. Caroline Herschel, a German astronomer. It would have been her 266th birthday.

Herschel was a keen observer of the universe. She discovered hundreds of stars, eight comets (six of which still bear her name), and became the first female astronomer enlisted by the British monarchy. 

Caroline Herschel made a significant contribution to the field of Astronomy. NASA has a special page honoring her contribution.

The Herschel’s remarkable scientific achievements include the publication of Catalogue of Stars and a Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society.

 

Caroline Herschel 

by M. G. Tieleman, 1829

Copyright The Royal Society

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/

• Some biographic information:

Caroline Lucretia Herschel was born as Karoline Lucretia Herschel in Hannover, Germany on 16 March 1750. One of a large family, she was the eighth child and the fourth daughter. The family was very musical, and her older brother, William, eventually moved to England to work as a music teacher and organist. At the age of 22, Caroline moved with him to train as a singer. She sang as a soprano in a number of performances.

In 1772, she left Germany and came to live in England with her brother William Herschel who discovered the planet Uranus in 1781. 

Caroline and William Herschel

Lithograph. 1896

https://upload.wikimedia.org/

Caroline was a significant astronomer in her own right. Assisting her brother in his celestial pursuits, Caroline herself became fascinated by the night sky. They made telescopes together in their spare time, and the two took a deep interest in astronomy and observational cosmology. They also catalogued the celestial realms.

Caroline frequently used a small Newtonian sweeper to study the sky on her own. On Feb. 26, 1783, Caroline discovered an open cluster known today as NGC 2360. She went on to discover 14 new nebulae, including NGC 205, the companion to the Andromeda Galaxy

Caroline Herschel

https://herschelmuseum.org.uk/

Then, in the summer of 1786, she made a discovery that no woman had made before her - she discovered a comet. 

On August 1, 1786, Caroline made a discovery that no woman had made before her. She discovered a comet. She identified an object traveling slowly through the night sky. She observed it again the next night and immediately alerted other astronomers by mail to announce her discovery and inform them of its path so that they could study it. 

Telescope

credits: Herschel Museum of Astronomy

http://herschelmuseum.org.uk/

Caroline Herschel turned her free time toward the sky, and went on to discover

seven other comets over the next decade. 

She also cross-indexed the existing star catalog compiled by England's first "astronomer royal" John Flamsteed, submitting more than 550 stars that had not been included in the original version.

Her name has been bestowed on the comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet, the asteroid 281 Lucretia (after her middle name), and the lunar crater C. Herschel.

She published a catalogue of stars in 1798 through the Royal Society, which significantly updated and corrected the one published by the first astronomer royal, John Flamsteed, in 1725.

 Caroline Herschel in her later years. 

credits: Kean Collection/Getty Images

https://www.biography.com/tag/womens-history

For her endeavors, Caroline was honored in 1828 with the Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal, the first woman to receive the prize. It wouldn't be awarded to another woman until 1996, to Vera Rubin. 

She granted an honorary membership in 1835. Herschel was also the first woman to be paid for her contribution to science for the discovery of six new comets. In 1787, King George III officially employed her as William's assistant, providing her with a modest salary.

She also became an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1838, and received the Gold Medal for science from the King of Prussia in 1846, a year before her death. She died in Hanover, Germany, on January 9, 1848.

Mirror polishing machine

credits: Herschel Museum of Astronomy

http://herschelmuseum.org.uk/

It was given to her "in recognition of the valuable services rendered to Astronomy by you, as the fellow-worker of your immortal brother, Sir William Herschel, by discoveries, observations, and laborious calculations". 

The Herschel became experts at tracking them down, seeing themselves as the astronomical equivalent of botanists who catalogued exotic plants in far-off lands.

"Remembering their life in 19 New King Street – the home of the Herschel Museum of Astronomy – Caroline noted that ‘almost every room in the house turned into a workshop’  with William ‘grinding glasses and turning eye pieces’ to build his famous telescopes."

Herschel Museum of Astronomy

The Quiet Revolution

of Carolina Herschel

Emily Winterburn

https://herschelmuseum.org.uk/

The Herschel house in Bath is now the site of the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. 

Caroline was a tiny woman, as the dress on display at the museum attests. Only 4ft 3 inches in height, her tiny frame was blamed on typhus stunting her growth when she was 10. 

Yet she proved hardy in the face of long nights observing in the cold and lived until she was 97.

Caroline Herschel died on Jan. 9, 1848. She penned the inscription on her tombstone, which reads:

"The eyes of her who is glorified here below turned to the starry heavens." 

• Resources:

Wonder Women of History

https://www.facebook.com/HerschelMuseumofAstronomy

• Caroline Herschel in 'Wonder Women of History', from Wonder Woman, Issue 51 (January-February 1952.)

• Caroline Herschel’s 266th Birthday - Google Doodle - Minecraft version:

Education:

Caroline Herschel became expert at tracking stars and comets as the astronomical equivalent of the botanist Anna Atkins who catalogued exotic plants in far-off lands.

The discussion of new discoveries and a better understanding of the role of women in science, is an important aim. 

Girls and women are more and more proving in different situations at school and in business that they are equal to men in the intelligence and capacity. Don't forget to talk about it with your students (girls).

The Female Philosopher: Smelling out the Comet, 1790s. 

Draper Hill Collection, 

The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

https://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/

So, constantly evolving education at all ages and levels in our ever-changing world is crucial. Very important in school education.

This begins early in school where girls must be encouraged to access to humanities, science and technology.

The aim is to encourage girls and young women creativity in the field of humanities, science, new technologies or arts and highlight the importance of developing innovative skills at their early age.

Include into school curricula the doodles of Caroline Herschel and Anna Atkins to talk about women in science who became so important in History.

Explore the different Google doodles to motivate girls and young women to STEM, Arts, or Humanities.

Useful links:

Herschel Museum of Astronomy

https://herschelmuseum.org.uk/

NASA Caroline Herschel

https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/herschel.html

G-Souto 

16.03.2016

update 16.03.2023

Copyright © 2016G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Schools : Women in Science, Caroline Herschel, the astronomer ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.