Meteor shower
A time each year when many more shooting stars than usual can be seen, all seeming to come from the same part of the sky.
On most clear, dark nights you can spot a few shooting stars (meteors) every hour. During a meteor shower there are many more. Showers happen because comets, and sometimes asteroids, leave trails of dust along their paths around the Sun. Each year Earth passes through the same trails on about the same dates, and the tiny specks rush into our air and burn up high above the ground, making streaks of light.
Every shower is named after the constellation its meteors seem to fly out of. The Perseids in August seem to come from Perseus and are made by dust from Comet Swift–Tuttle. The Geminids in December come from Gemini; their dust comes from an unusual rocky object called 3200 Phaethon.
Shower meteors are usually too small, from about a grain of sand to a pea, to reach the ground, so you don't find meteorites from them. To enjoy a shower, pick a dark place away from street lights, go with an adult, wrap up warmly, lie back and look at a wide area of sky. No telescope is needed, just patience.
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Level: Beginner Ages 7 and up