As Earth orbits the Sun, it plows through dust and debris left behind by comets and asteroids. That debris gives birth to meteor showers – which can be one of nature's most amazing spectacles.
By 2006 , comet SW3 had disintegrated further, intoFragments of comet 73P seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006. , M. Mutchler and Z. Levay )Detailed computer modelling suggests debris has been spreading out along the comet's orbit like enormous thin tentacles in space.
At the comet's next return, in 1852, the two fragments had clearly separated and both were fluctuating unpredictably in brightness.But in late November of 1872, an unexpected meteor storm graced northern skies, stunning observers with rates of more than 3,000 meteors per hour. A dying comet, falling apart before our eyes, and an associated meteor shower, usually barely imperceptible against the background noise. Are we about to see history repeat itself with comet SW3?The main difference between the events of 1872 and this year's Tau Herculids comes down to the timing of Earth's crossing of the cometary orbits.
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