September 14, 2006 - Space

sagar: Author=” program=” video=”Milky Way Galaxy.
Image: Robert Hurt, SSC/JPL/Caltech*When I wish on a shooting star, how many other people might be wishing on that very same streak of light in the sky? In other words, how close do two people have to be on Earth’s surface to see the same meteor?*

The average meteor burns up about 100 kilometers – maybe 60 miles – above Earth’s surface. If you consider the fact that Earth is curved, that means that – in theory – a meteor that skims your horizon is about 1100 kilometers – 700 miles – away. So – with ideal conditions, dark skies and flat horizons – two people could be about twice that far apart and still see the same meteor. They could be separated by a distance of about 2200 kilometers or nearly 1400 miles.

But – in reality – finding 2,200 kilometers of flat unobstructed land isn’t easy. What’s more, it’s hard to see objects less than twenty degrees above the horizon. And the maximum distance between meteor observers also depends on a meteor’s brightness. We’re talking here about meteors that are pretty bright. Realistically, it’s not likely two people would see the same meteor unless they were about 1000 kilometers – about 600 miles – from each other.

Written by earthsky