April 22 meteor shower ----- LYRIDS

The Lyrids (LYR) are a meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 26 each year. The radiant of the meteor shower is located in the constellation Lyra, near this constellation's brightest star, Alpha Lyrae (proper name Vega); hence they are also called the Alpha Lyrids and sometimes the April Lyrids. The source of the meteor shower is particles of dust shed in the cometary tail generated by the periodic Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. The Lyrids have been observed for the past 2600 years.

The shower usually peaks on around April 22 and the morning of April 23. Counts typically range from 5 to 20 meteors per hour, averaging around ten. As a result of light pollution, observers in the country will see more, observers in the city fewer. Nights without a moon in the sky will reveal the most meteors.

 

The Lyrid meteor shower has been observed for more than 2,000 years; Chinese records say "stars fell like rain" during the shower of 687 BC. But in recent times the Lyrids have generally been weak. They have a brief maximum that lasts for less than a day, and even then only 10 to 20 Lyrids per hour may appear. One of the unpredictable aspects of this shower, though, is that it’s known for uncommon surges that sometimes result in up to 100 shooting stars per hour.

Andromeda Galaxy --->Will this destroy our Solar system?

The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.537x10^6 light-years or 1.604x10^11 AU (2.4×10^19km) away from us. Other name for this galaxy is Messier 31, M31, NGC 224,UGC 454, PGC 2557, 2C 56 (Core), LEDA 2557. This is the nearest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy.

This is the largest galaxy in the local group ( having approximately 1000000000000(1 trillion) stars.  It is more than double the number than in the Milky Way).

Mass of Andromeda galaxy is approximately 1411870500000000000000000000000000000000000 kg (1.4x10^42 kg).

The Andromeda Galaxy on a German postage stamp of 1999.

Co-ordinate of the Andromeda galaxy : 
http://www.wikisky.org/?ra=0.71230555555556&de=41.269444444444&zoom=7&show_grid=1&show_constellation_lines=1&show_constellation_boundaries=1&show_const_names=1&show_galaxies=1&img_source=IMG_all

What is the special thing about this galaxy.

Andromeda is going to collide with our Milky Way galaxy. Both expected to collide in about 4.5 billion years. Andromeda is approaching Milky Way with 100 to 140 km/sec.

Both will collide and become a giant elliptical galaxy. It has been nicknamed Milkomeda or Milkdromeda.

If both will collide, solar system won’t be there. Based on current calculations they predict a 50% chance that in a merged galaxy the solar system will be swept out three times farther from the galactic core than it is currently located. They also predict a 12% chance that the Solar System will be ejected from the new galaxy some time during the collision.

Anyway we don’t need to get worry about this because earth will not be there after 400 crores years.
Confusing, yes sun is enlarging day by day. About 200 crores years, sun will eat earth. Even if we are in mars also, sun will eat us.

But in future we may travel in time. After 200 crores years we would be living in some other planet outside from our milky way. Anything will happen in future.

Formation of 1a supernova

Supernova(left) , Formation of 1a supernova(right)

Supernova is nothing but a energetic explosion of a star or otherwise as stellar (star) explosion. 

The velocity of the explosion is 30,000 km/s that mean 10% speed of light.

Really interesting... :-)