Debris from comet 46P/Wirtanen may enter Earth’s atmosphere and create a brand new meteor shower known as the Lambda-Sculptorids.
Earth typically experiences multiple meteor showers throughout the year, originating from the dust and rock tails of various comets and asteroids. However, 46P/Wirtanen has never been responsible for such events before.
Tomorrow, December 12th, fragments from 46P/Wirtanen could penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a brand new meteor shower called Lambda-Sculptorids. This event was serendipitously discovered by a team of scientists led by Dr. Jeremie Vaubaillon from the Paris Observatory in France.
“The Green Monster” 46P/Wirtanen is prominently visible in Earth’s sky during a previous approach, easily seen with the naked eye – (Photo: ARIZONA UNIVERSITY).
The research team has been observing 46P/Wirtanen to understand why this comet has never caused a meteor shower, despite its frequent close approaches to Earth in its 5.4-year orbit around the Sun.
They suddenly realized that something unprecedented was about to happen.
The Lambda-Sculptorids meteor shower is expected to occur between 8:00 AM and 12:30 PM GMT on December 12th, which translates to 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM Vietnam time.
The activity level of this meteor shower remains uncertain due to the lack of precedent.
The most convenient observation areas will be Australia, especially Eastern Australia and New Zealand.
According to Space.com, meteor showers occur when Earth passes through the dust and rock tail left by a comet during its close encounter with the Sun.
Meteoroids typically enter Earth’s atmosphere at speeds exceeding 260,000 km/h, igniting and creating beautiful shooting stars.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen, approximately 1 mile wide, is part of the “Jupiter family of comets,” with its orbit influenced by the gravity of this gas giant.
The last time 46P/Wirtanen approached Earth was in 2018, when it was identified as an active comet, ejecting more material than other comets of similar size.
Its stream of debris has previously interacted with Earth’s atmosphere, but the debris was moving at lower-than-normal speeds, preventing meteor showers from occurring.
However, starting this year, things are expected to change as the “Green Monster” 46P/Wirtanen increasingly exhibits unusual behavior during sublimation.
The new meteor shower, Lambda-Sculptorids, is expected to recur in the future following its debut on December 12th.
