Andy’s Astronomy: Did Earth Once Have a Second Moon?

By ANDY KOBER
On Feb. 9, 1913, a very large meteor shower, not typical of regular meteor showers, gave rise to the idea that Earth might have had a second and small moon.
Beginning about 9 pm, the meteor shower was viewed by people in the northeastern US, Canada, Bermuda, and by crew members on ships off the American east coast and as far south as Brazil. The shower could have been watched by many more people except there was cloud cover over much of the northeast US.
It was an unusual meteor shower in a number of respects. While typical meteor showers grow in intensity, this one did not. Instead there were an estimated 40 to 60 meteors that just suddenly appeared. During typical meteor showers the meteors travel in a variety of different directions. This meteor shower did not, instead all of the meteors traveled an almost identical path from horizon to horizon. Meteors usually flash across the sky, but these did not. Some were watched for five minutes and some of the fireballs for 30 to 40 seconds. Amazement continued because after the meteor shower, some observers reported seeing what looked like a large star that passed overhead with no tail or sparks normally associated with a meteor. The unusual meteor shower produced a sound described as “thundering”.
The event was not over as about five hours after the first meteor shower ended, a second was reported. This second shower included three groups of “dark objects” that followed the same course as the first meteor shower.
The phenomenon came to be known as the Great Meteor Procession of 1913.
There have been several theories advanced regarding the meteor shower with Canadian astronomer Clarence Chant suggesting the meteors had been a natural satellite of Earth that broke apart upon entry of the atmosphere. Another theory, advanced by John O’Keefe was the meteor shower came from the final remnants of a circumterrestrial ring around Earth. A part of NASA, O’Keefe was an expert in planetary science and astrogeology.
Next week we’ll continue looking at some of science fiction’s most noted celestrial bodies.
Keep your eyes on the sky for passing fireballs.
Meteors can flash across the sky anytime, day or night, and extraordinarily bright meteors are often referred to as fireballs — and they are spotted quite often.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, five people across Alabama and Georgia reported seeing a fireball. The fireball was first reported at 7:10 pm by a skywatcher in Nelson, GA, which is between Canton and Ellijay, and as far north and east as it was seen. The fireball was seen as far south as Kinsey, AL, and as far west as Auburn, AL.
None of the skywatchers reported hearing the fireball make any noise but one witnessed it fragment
Anyone seeing a fireball is urged to report the sighting to https://amsmeteors.org
Going outside and looking at the sky, especially the night sky, can be fun and educational for the entire family.
There are a number of free apps available to help identify stars and constellations, and some of the apps will show satellites.
Happy skywatching!