Kappa Cygnids
Encyclopedia
Kappa Cygnids, abbreviated KCG, is a minor meteor shower
that takes place in August along with the larger Perseids
meteor shower. Kappa Cygnids are named for the radiant
where the meteor shower will appear to line up in sky by the constellation
Cygnus
and the star
Kappa Cygni.
Meteor shower
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories. Most meteors are smaller...
that takes place in August along with the larger Perseids
Perseids
The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are so-called because the point from which they appear to come, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. The name derives in part from the word Perseides , a term found in Greek mythology...
meteor shower. Kappa Cygnids are named for the radiant
Radiant (meteor shower)
The radiant or apparent radiant of a meteor shower is the point in the sky, from which meteors appear to originate. The Perseids, for example, are meteors which appear to come from a point within the constellation of Perseus....
where the meteor shower will appear to line up in sky by the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Cygnus
Cygnus (constellation)
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
and the star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
Kappa Cygni.
| Year | Active Between | Peak of shower | ZHR Zenithal Hourly Rate In astronomy, the Zenithal Hourly Rate of a meteor shower is the number of meteors a single observer would see in one hour under a clear, dark sky if the radiant of the shower were at the zenith... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | July 3-August 15 | July 30th | 3 |