Taking Pinterest - DIY inspiration literally, recently a Tokyo-based startup developed a micro-satellite. This satellite will release balls that glow as they hurtle through the air, simulating the appearance of a meteor shower. Each “star” is estimated to shine for a few seconds before burning up completely. This is what will be known as “shooting stars”.
To the visible eye, a shooting star appears as a fleeting flash of white light. However, the white light is an amalgamation of a wide colour spectrum produced by the hurling object as it heads toward the Earth.
Technically, comets, meteors and asteroids are usually grouped together and are commonly known as shooting stars. They are essentially made of small pieces of rock and ice. The tails that appear as streaks of light are actually cosmic matter that burn out rapidly as they enter the atmosphere. Interestingly, research indicates that the spark caused during a meteor shower is because of the friction between air and meteoroids.
A meteor typically travels at almost tens of thousands of miles per hour through space. When it plows through the atmosphere at almost 30 to 60 times the speed of sound, the air in front of it compresses immediately. This leads to a sudden rise in temperature of over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit and causes the meteor to heat up and glow. The intense heat vaporizes most meteors, creating what we call, shooting stars.
Paving the way through dynamic research and innovation, compressed air has made far-reaching impact in outer space. Compressed air plays a pivotal role in helping NASA’s shuttles reach escape velocity. Air compressors in space are often used to operate traditional propulsion systems for rockets or internal components in shuttles and space stations. As we go forward, they will play a major role in helping systems to be lighter, smarter and more efficient.
Thanks to constant innovation in technology, sky’s not the limit for us when it comes to the power of compressed air. ELGi is one of the few leading air compressor manufacturers with diverse products for multiple industrial applications. To learn more about air compressors and related products that ELGi offers, visit our website here.