Meteor Showers

On any clear night one can observe several meteors an hour if one is patient. The are fragments of rock that burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere at very high speed. larger one may actually explode in a spectacular fireball but these are rare.

During a meteor shower, which may last several days, large numbers of meteors may fall originating from the same point in the sky called the radiant. The shower is usually named after the constellation from which they originate, e.g. in early august every year is the Perseid shower coming from Perseus in which, at its peak, there is over one meteor per minute.

As they occur on a yearly basis this suggests that a shower occurs when the Earth is passing through a particular point in space, e.g. when it is passing through the debris left behind by a comet.

Here are some definitions you should learn

Meteoroid - a ball of rock flying through space. Smaller than an asteroid. Most are about the size of a pebble. Some are what's left of comets. Some are made when asteroid collide into each other and break up.

Meteor - a meteoroid that has entered the Earth's atmosphere and is burning up due to friction. Often called a shooting star they leave fiery trail.

Meteorite - a meteor that lands on Earth.