Squeaks and I recently built an amazing observatory, and we love using it to gaze at the night sky! If you’ve ever looked up on a dark, clear night, you might have noticed lots of things to see. You can spot the Moon, stars, and even some planets! And if you’re really lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a meteor, which is a streak of light that zooms across the sky.
Many people call meteors “shooting stars” because their light looks similar to the bright light of stars. But meteors aren’t stars at all! Stars are huge balls of gas far, far away in space. Meteors, on the other hand, are caused by tiny pieces of rock and metal that get pulled close to Earth.
It all begins when a small piece of rock or metal breaks away from something bigger in space. Most of these pieces are tiny, not much bigger than a grain of rice, and some are as small as a piece of dust! As these pieces fall toward Earth, they travel so fast that they heat up the air around them and burn up, making the air glow. That’s the light we see in the sky—it’s a little piece of rock or metal burning up!
We call the falling piece a meteoroid, and the light it makes is the meteor. When the meteoroid completely burns up, the meteor is gone, and the light disappears. If the piece is very small, the light might last less than a second. If it’s larger, the streak might race across the sky! If the piece is big enough, it can make it all the way through the atmosphere and hit the Earth’s surface. When it does, it gets a new name—a meteorite.
Thousands of meteorites fall to the ground every year, but most are so small that we don’t notice them! There are even more meteoroids that burn up before reaching the ground.
During certain times of the year, there are more meteors than usual. You might see 60 of them in an hour! This is called a meteor shower because there are so many meteors falling through the sky that it’s like taking a shower in them. But don’t worry, it’s just a fun way to describe it!
Meteor showers happen because of something else in space called a comet. Comets are usually far away, at the edge of the solar system. But sometimes, one passes close to the path where Earth moves around the sun. As it passes by, some dust from the comet breaks off and stays in that spot for a long time. Every year, when Earth gets close to that spot, lots of dust falls toward Earth, creating meteors. That’s when we get a meteor shower!
There are several meteor showers throughout the year, with big ones in January, April, May, July, August, October, November, and December. So, there are plenty of chances to see them!
Squeaks and I are excited to watch one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, called the Perseids. The best nights to see it are around August 12. You can ask a grownup to help you find out when the next meteor shower will happen. Then, find a dark spot, look up, and enjoy the light show!
Have you ever seen a meteor or a meteor shower? You can ask a grownup to help you leave a comment below or send us an email at [email protected].
Create Your Own Meteor Shower: Gather some small rocks or pebbles and a flashlight. In a dark room, have an adult help you shine the flashlight on the rocks as you drop them one by one. Watch how the light reflects off the rocks as they fall. This is similar to how meteors light up the sky when they burn up in the atmosphere. Discuss with a friend or family member how this activity is like a real meteor shower.
Starry Night Observation: On a clear night, go outside with a grownup and look up at the sky. Try to spot the Moon, stars, and maybe even a planet. If you’re lucky, you might see a meteor! Draw a picture of what you see in the sky. Can you find any constellations? Share your drawing with your class and talk about what you observed.
Comet Dust Experiment: Use a small fan and some glitter to simulate how comet dust creates meteor showers. Turn on the fan and gently sprinkle glitter in front of it. Watch how the glitter moves and spreads out, similar to how dust from a comet spreads in space. Discuss how this relates to meteor showers and why they happen at certain times of the year.
