Scienceville
Rare Celestial Events
A star that exploded and shone in daylight, a comet that smashed into a giant planet... Some sky shows happen only once in hundreds of years! Let's look up.
Did you know?
In 1054, astronomers in China saw a 'new star' so bright that it could be seen in daylight for 23 days. It was a supernova, a giant star exploding! Its glowing leftovers are called the Crab Nebula.
In July 1994, about 21 pieces of a broken comet called Shoemaker–Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter, one after another. It was the first time people watched two objects in our solar system collide!
A total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, but at any one place only about once in 360 to 410 years! Never look at the Sun without proper eclipse glasses and an adult.
Try this: Eclipse in Your Room
In a dark room, switch on a torch: that's the Sun. A friend holds a big ball (the Earth) a few steps away. Move a small ball, like a lemon (the Moon), around the big ball. When does the lemon's shadow fall on the big ball? That's a solar eclipse! When does the lemon hide in the big ball's shadow? That's a lunar eclipse.
Go further: Meteor Storms
Shooting stars, or meteors, are tiny bits of comet dust that burn up as they rush into our air. Every November, Earth passes through dust left behind by a comet called Tempel–Tuttle, giving us the Leonid meteor shower. About every 33 years, this shower can turn into a meteor storm! In 1966, at its peak, people saw more than 40 meteors every second! No telescope is needed to watch a meteor shower: just a dark sky and patient eyes.