Meteor shower π-Puppids to pass over Azerbaijan

At the end of April, the π-Puppids meteor shower is expected, with its peak occurring on April 22-24.

The π-Puppids meteor shower is best observed in the Southern Hemisphere, but under favorable conditions, it can occasionally be visible from low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, reports 1news.az citing the Department of Astrophysics at the Faculty of Physics of Baku State University.

The π-Puppids meteor shower occurs as a result of Earth colliding with dust particles left behind by comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. This comet orbits the Sun with a period of approximately 5 years and releases a large number of small particles into space during each close approach. When Earth passes through areas of their highest concentration, a meteor shower is observed.

One of the most interesting features of this shower is its instability: in some years, meteors are hardly visible, while in others, sudden bursts of activity (outbursts) can occur, during which dozens of meteors can be seen per hour.

These meteors enter Earth's atmosphere at a relatively average speed. Their geocentric velocity is approximately 18 km/s. Compared to faster meteor showers like the Lyrids, this is a lower rate, so π-Puppids meteors often appear slower and leave longer light trails.

The radiant (the point from which they appear to originate) is located in the constellation Puppis in the southern part of the sky. This is why the meteor shower is better observed in the Southern Hemisphere.

For Baku and the territory of Azerbaijan as a whole, observing the π-Puppids meteor shower is considered challenging. The main reason is the location of the radiant very close to the southern horizon, and often below the horizon line. Nevertheless, under clear skies and with an unobstructed southern horizon, it is sometimes possible to observe individual meteors near the horizon line.

The most favorable time for observation is during the night hours, especially after midnight.