Meteor Showers
Discover the world of falling stars. Learn more about meteor showers and shooting stars.
Leonids Meteor Shower
The Leonids Meteor Shower happens during the month of November. They occur when the Earth encounters debris left from comet Tempel-Tuttle and have been described as the cosmic equivalent of bugs hitting the windshield of an automobile. However in the case of the Leonids Meteor Shower, the vehicle is the Earth on its journey around the Sun, and the bugs are tiny sand-grain-sized particles traveling at speeds of over 140,000 miles per hour. The Leonids Meteor Shower
The Leonids Meteor Shower happens during the month of November. They occur when the Earth encounters debris left from comet Tempel-Tuttle and have been described as the cosmic equivalent of bugs hitting the windshield of an automobile. However in the case of the Leonids Meteor Shower, the vehicle is the Earth on its journey around the Sun, and the bugs are tiny sand-grain-sized particles traveling at speeds of over 140,000 miles per hour. The Leonids Meteor Shower
Orionids Meteor Shower
The Orionids -- so named because they appear to streak out of a point in the constellation Orion -- will peak on October 21st. Sky watchers north of the equator with dark clear skies will spot 15 to 20 meteors each hour before dawn. Observers south of the equator will see almost as many: 10 to 15 per hour. The October Orionids are cousins of the eta Aquarids -- a mostly southern hemisphere meteor shower in May. Both spring from Halley's Comet.
The Orionids -- so named because they appear to streak out of a point in the constellation Orion -- will peak on October 21st. Sky watchers north of the equator with dark clear skies will spot 15 to 20 meteors each hour before dawn. Observers south of the equator will see almost as many: 10 to 15 per hour. The October Orionids are cousins of the eta Aquarids -- a mostly southern hemisphere meteor shower in May. Both spring from Halley's Comet.
Perseid Meteor Shower
April showers bring May flowers, they say, so, what does a shower in August bring? Meteors. The Perseid Meteor Shower, to be exact.
April showers bring May flowers, they say, so, what does a shower in August bring? Meteors. The Perseid Meteor Shower, to be exact.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the year's best. It is rarely observed. It peaks in early January, when temperatures drop and skies are often cloudy in the northern hemisphere. Even though weather conditions may be more favorable in the southern hemisphere, observers there will have very little to see. The Quadrantid meteor shower only lasts a few hours. In 2003 Peter Jenniskens of the NASA Ames Research Center discovered the source of the Quadrantid meteor shower.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the year's best. It is rarely observed. It peaks in early January, when temperatures drop and skies are often cloudy in the northern hemisphere. Even though weather conditions may be more favorable in the southern hemisphere, observers there will have very little to see. The Quadrantid meteor shower only lasts a few hours. In 2003 Peter Jenniskens of the NASA Ames Research Center discovered the source of the Quadrantid meteor shower.