When it comes to astronomy, shooting star showers are among the most popular events. There's something breathtaking about seeing a meteor light up the sky, and those who appreciate such spectacles are prepared to stay up late to watch them. But two centuries ago, the general population had no advanced knowledge of astronomy. So when a shower of shooting stars of unparalleled intensity occurred, many of our ancestors thought the sky was falling.
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The shooting star shower of November 1833
It's almost two centuries ago, on the night of November 12-13, 1833, in North America. The Leonids shooting star shower was at its peak. The intensity of this type of event is difficult to predict, but that year, the Leonids broke all records: the sky was strewn with meteors for almost 10 hours.
An estimated 240,000 meteors were seen that night. By way of comparison, around 15 meteors were expected during the Leonids of 2023... a quick calculation reveals that the shooting star shower of November 1833 was out of all proportion. So much so, that the astronomical event sent observers into a panic.
An end-of-the-world look
You have to put yourself in the shoes of the people of 1833, most of whom knew nothing about astronomy, and who suddenly saw thousands of stars moving across the sky.
Some thought they were witnessing the Apocalypse. One farmer reportedly said:
The end of the world is happening, because the stars are falling.
Others began to fear the wrath of their god.
Quoted by our Washington Post colleagues, a descendant of slaves explains that her ancestors' slaves 'started rounding up all the slaves and, for no reason, started telling some of them who their mothers and fathers were, who they'd been sold to and where they'd taken them.'
In fact, the media reports that the Leonids of 2033 or 2034 could offer us a spectacle as intense as that of two centuries ago.
Read more:
⋙ Geminids shooting star shower: Here's when you can witness this spectacular astronomical event
⋙ Winter solstice, full moon, shooting stars - Here are all the major astronomical events in December
⋙ UFOs spotted all over Ukraine’s skies: Harvard astronomer offers explanation
⋙ Astronomy: Beginner's guide to get started
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
