Meteor Showers

A meteor shower is a special event when many shooting stars appear in the sky. It happens when Earth moves through a trail of dust left by a comet. The tiny dust pieces burn up in our atmosphere and create bright streaks of light. Some meteor showers happen at the same time every year.

How Meteor Showers Work

Comets leave behind trails of tiny dust and ice as they orbit the Sun. When Earth passes through these trails, the dust hits our atmosphere very fast. The bits of dust burn up and create streaks of light called meteors. During a big shower, you might see dozens of meteors every hour.

Famous Meteor Showers

The Perseids happen every August and are one of the best showers to watch. The Geminids in December are also very popular. The Leonids in November sometimes produce amazing storms with thousands of meteors. To watch a meteor shower, just lie on your back and look up at a dark sky.

Fun Facts

• Most meteors in a shower are caused by dust grains no bigger than a grain of sand.
• Meteor shower dust hits Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 160,000 miles per hour.
• The Perseid meteor shower has been watched by people for over 2,000 years.

Did You Know?

Meteor showers are named after the constellation they seem to come from. The Perseids look like they come from the constellation Perseus.