help

Can a Meteor Shower Occur Once Every 250 Years?

-- oliver | April 10, 2021

Question:

I am writing a novel. I am wanting to know if it is theoretically possible for the Earth to travel close to a meteor shower linked to a specific comet or asteroid roughly every 250 years. I am struggling to find an answer to this – if there might theoretically be a comet or asteroid which has an orbit of roughly 250 years, so that meteors linked to it might strike the Earth as meteorites every 250 years. I hope that make sense.

-- oliver

Answer:

The material which produces meteor showers results from dust particles which sublimate from a comet when it passes through the Solar System on its orbit around the Sun. When the Earth’s orbit passes through this dust trail, the sand-sized material left by the comet is drawn-in by the Earth’s gravity and burns-up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The debris trail left by the comet can persist for many years, so meteor showers associated with a particular comet occur at about the same time every year when the Earth crosses the comet’s path. Some parts of a comet’s path are richer in remnant debris, which can result in variations in the meteor shower’s strength from one year to the next. As one might expect, the strongest meteor showers happen when the Earth crosses a comet’s path soon after the parent comet has passed by the Earth. If a comet has an orbit which brings it into the Solar System every 250 years, this could result in a stronger meteor shower on this time interval.

-- Jeff Mangum

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
	AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.