Meteor Showers For Beginners

A meteor shower is caused by a trail of particles left by a comet as it revolves around the Sun. These particles can remain suspended in space for decades. If the comet's path passes through the Earth's path, the Earth will collide into the particles as it reaches that part of its orbit. When this happens, the particles (called meteorites) burn up high in the Earth's atmosphere causing a streak of light called a meteor. Since the Earth always passes through this point in its orbit the same time every year, meteor showers are annual events.

Most meteors from a common meteor shower are parallel to one another. But they appear to emerge from the same point in the sky called the "radiant" and they travel in all directions from this point. How does this happen? Imagine yourself driving down the middle of a very straight and long road, with an electric power line along one side of the road and a line of trees along the other. Both the trees, the line down the road's center, and the electric power line appear to come together to a common point far in the distance even though there are all parallel to each other. This is an illusion of perspective created by the distance.

So just as the trees and power line are actually parallel to each other, the meteors of a meteor shower are also parallel to each other even if they same to be comBORD from a common point.

How To See A Meteor

The wonderful thing about meteors is that it takes no special equipment to see them. You just have to look up at more or less the right directions towards the right spot. A meteor is not difficult to spot. If you’re lucky you will see a fireball which is a meteor that is particularly bright.

What you do need is a dark and preferably Moonless night. Try to find a location away from any street lights.

The names of the Meteor showers indicate where the radiant is and the place to look at. Just look towards the constellation and you will see the meteors.

Here are some of the major meteor showers and their constellations

If you want to learn more about the constellations you can go to SkyWatch SkyTour or buy H.A. Rey’s wonderful book The Stars.