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Boffins Warn of Satellite-smashing Meteor Bombardment
BBC News reports [bbc.co.uk] on an ESA essay (PDF) [esa.int], Spacecraft risk posed by the 2016 Perseid outburst. The essay warned of
[...] enhanced activity on a level similar to that of 2009 as the Earth passes through several debris trails on the night of August 11-12 (UT).
[...] the projected kinetic energy weighted Perseid flux at the time of the strongest maximum is only increased by 50% above that of the normal sporadic background [...]
[...] the 2016 Perseids should exhibit above average activity for over half a day, from late UTC on August 11 to just past the middle of August 12.
The BBC explains that this means the Earth was predicted to pass "through a particularly distinct bit of debris" that had been deflected by Jupiter. The meteor strikes have been taking place since mid-July and are expected to continue through the weekend.
additional coverage:
- Daily Mail [dailymail.co.uk]
- Los Angeles Times [latimes.com]
- NASA [nasa.gov] (Javascript required)
