February 9, 1913: the Nice Meteor Procession
An odd and still-unexplained parade of meteors on this date dazzled viewers in Canada, the northeastern United States and ships within the Atlantic all the way in which right down to Brazil. The origin of the occasion referred to as the Nice Meteor Procession of 1913, after greater than a century, continues to be unknown.
This procession of meteors was not like other meteor showers, the place zippy streaks of sunshine all radiate outward from a single level. The February 9, 1913, meteors appeared to cross the sky in formation, on practically similar paths. Their tempo throughout the sky was stately and measured.
In the present day in science: February 9, 1913. An odd & unexplained parade of meteors on this date dazzled viewers in Canada, the US, & ships within the Atlantic all the way in which to Brazil. The occasion is often recognized by the identify the Nice Meteor Procession of 1913, & its origins are nonetheless unknown. pic.twitter.com/86HdyEkKkD
— David Criminal (@StellarInsights) February 9, 2021
The Meteor Procession traveled virtually horizontally and a few heard sound
There was one other distinction between your common meteor and the 1913 procession. Regular meteors are likely to plunge into Earth’s ambiance and vaporize attributable to friction with the air. Meteors in annual showers final solely seconds. The 1913 meteors appeared to journey virtually horizontally, practically parallel to the Earth’s floor, and thus they remained seen to a single observer for a couple of minute, and your entire procession took a number of minutes to cross by.
Plus, observers reported rumblings and different unusual sounds, suggesting the 1913 meteors might have been comparatively near Earth after they disintegrated.
EarthSky 2023 lunar calendars are in stock! We’re guaranteed to sell out – get one while you can.
Theories concerning the procession
Some astronomers later concluded that – as a result of all sightings of the meteor procession occurred alongside a nice circle arc – the supply had been a small, short-lived pure satellite of Earth – a temporary second moon. Different theories tried to show there was a radiant level for this bathe, simply as for any unusual meteor bathe.
The densely populated northeastern United States was cloudy on the night of February 9, 1913. So 30 million potential observers have been for essentially the most half unaware of the phenomenon. A 1913 report within the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada by Clarence Chant, who collected over 100 eyewitness experiences of the occasion, described the scene like this:
An enormous meteor appeared touring from northwest by west to southeast, which, because it approached, was seen to be in two components and regarded like two bars of flaming materials, one following the opposite. They have been throwing out a continuing stream of sparks and after they’d handed they shot out balls of fireplace straight forward that travelled extra quickly than the principle our bodies.
They appeared to cross over slowly and have been in sight about 5 minutes. Instantly after their disappearance within the southeast a ball of clear hearth, that regarded like a giant star, handed throughout the sky of their wake. This ball didn’t have a tail or present sparks of any sort. As an alternative of being yellow just like the meteors, it was clear like a star.
Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
A brand new examine
Don Olson of Texas State College and Steve Hutcheon of the Astronomical Affiliation of Queensland, Australia, have studied this phenomenon. Sifting by an unlimited array of archival materials, the crew found seven ship’s experiences, all beforehand unknown, extending the established monitor of the procession by a further thousand miles. They reported their leads to a 2013 concern of Sky & Telescope journal. Read more about Olson and Hutcheon’s findings here.
In the meantime, the precise origin of the meteors within the 1913 meteor procession continues to be a thriller and should by no means be recognized for positive.
Backside line: On February 9, 1913, fortunate observers witnessed the Nice Meteor Procession, when shiny meteors soared horizontally throughout the sky for minutes at a time.
