Meteor shower

What Is a Meteor Shower?

A meteor shower is a pretty show in the night sky. Many bright streaks of light, called meteors, zoom across the sky. They all seem to come from one spot. These streaks happen when tiny pieces of space dust, called meteoroids, fly into Earth’s atmosphere. Most of these pieces are very small, like a grain of sand. They burn up before they can hit the ground.

Why Do We See Them?

Meteor showers happen when Earth moves through bits left by a comet. Comets are big, icy objects that leave trails of dust and ice. When Earth passes through these trails, we see a meteor shower. Some meteor showers happen every year. One famous one is the Leonids. People have seen meteor showers for thousands of years. Old records from China, Japan, and Korea talk about bright streaks of light in the sky.

Fun Facts

When you watch a meteor shower, all the streaks of light seem to come from one spot in the sky. This spot is called the radiant point. Meteor showers are named after the star pattern where this point appears. For example, the Perseids seem to come from the constellation Perseus.

Scientists have known for a long time that these meteors come from space. In 1866, an astronomer named Giovanni Schiaparelli discovered that the Leonid meteor shower comes from a comet.

Famous Meteor Showers

Some meteor showers happen every year. Here are a few of the most famous ones:

Meteor showers are a wonderful way to enjoy the night sky. You can watch them with your family and friends. Just look up on a clear night and enjoy the show!