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    Meteor Showers

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    Meteor showers are cyclical, predictable events because they are formed from the icy rock debris shed by comets as they pass the Sun. The following sites explain why they happen, when they occur, and offer tips on how to best view them.

    		Meteor Showers Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00

    American Meteor Society: Meteor FAQs5 stars

    "Most meteor showers have their origins with comets. Each time a comet swings by the sun, it produces copious amounts of meteoroid sized particles which will eventually spread out along the entire orbit of the comet to form a meteoroid stream.” Visit the AMS site for answers to common meteor questions, photos, videos, and a Meteor Shower Calendar.



    EarthSky: Meteor Shower Guide5 stars

    Scroll through EarthSky's meteor calendar, from the Quadrantids (in January) to December's Gemids, to get the low-down on what's showing in a sky near you. There are also pointers on what to bring with you, and on finding a dark sky. "Although astronomers have tried to publish exact predictions in recent years, meteor showers remain notoriously unpredictable. Your best bet is to go outside at the times we suggest, and plan to spend at least an hour, if not a whole night, reclining comfortably while looking up at the sky."

    NASA Space Place: What Is a Meteor Shower?5 stars

    "In the case of a meteor shower, the glowing streaks may appear anywhere in the sky, but their "tails" all seem to point back to the same spot in the sky. That's because all the meteors are coming at us at the same angle, and as they get closer to Earth the effect of perspective makes them seem to get farther apart." At the bottom of this introductory article, you'll find links to related topics, including Asteroid or Meteor: What's the Difference?

    Sky & Telescope: Meteors: A Primer5 stars

    "Shower meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, but their direction of motion is away from the constellation whose name the shower bears. This apparent point of origin is known as the radiant." For more meteor facts and viewing tips, click on the Meteors category link at the bottom of this article.

    StarDate: Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips5 stars

    The most popular meteor question online is: "When is the next meteor shower?" StarDate answers this question with a calendar of seven annual meteor showers that include the peak of the shower (for the lower forty-eight states) and the moon phase. Since bright moonlight makes meteor viewing difficult, your best viewing is going to be when the moon is new or crescent.

    		Meteor Showers Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00



    Honorable Mentions

    The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

    Meteor Showers from Space

    Planets for Kids: Meteor Showers

    Nikon: Tips for Photographing Meteors

    Time and Date: What Is a Meteor Shower?


    Cite This Page

    Feldman, Barbara. "Meteor Showers." Surfnetkids. Feldman Publishing. 19 Jul. 2022. Web. 24 Nov. 2024. <https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/meteor-showers/ >.


    About This Page

    By . Originally published July 19, 2022. Last modified July 19, 2022.

    Filed Under: Science, Space

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