Mostly clear… with a chance for meteor showers!

If you were up late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, you may have seen meteors streaking across the sky. These meteors were a part of the annual Perseid’s meteor shower. The peak for this shower was Wednesday night.

So what is a meteor? A meteor is a bright streak of light that streaks across the earth’s atmosphere. We sometimes call them shooting stars of falling stars. They are caused when tiny pieces of dust or debris enter the earth’s atmosphere. This dust and debris could come from many different sources, the most common being leftover debris from a comet or an asteroid. The Perseids meteor shower is the result of the earth passing through the debris tail left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, while the Geminids (December) are thought to occur when earth passes through the debris cloud a neighboring asteroid. The showers are usually named for the constellation they appear from. The Perseids, seem to appear from the constellation Perseus, while the Geminids seem to appear from the constellation Gemini. Extremely large meteors are sometimes called fireballs and can actually produce a sonic boom as they enter the earth’s atmosphere.

When these “meteoroids” enter the earth’s atmosphere, they are traveling several thousand miles per hour. Once they enter the atmosphere, they start to bump into molecules of air. This creates tremendous friction, which causes heat and the meteoroid to glow. Once it starts to glow, the meteoroid is now called a “meteor.” Most meteors burn up in the earth’s atmosphere, but a few that are large enough or dense enough will make it to the ground. These hunks of rock are then called “meteorites.” 

If you missed the Perseid’s, don’t fret. There are many chances to see meteor showers throughout the year. Here is a link to some of them. http://www.theskyscrapers.org/meteors/index.php/year/2009. Some showers are better than others. Next to the reliable Perseids, the December Geminids can also make for a reliable show.

Remember… the best viewing conditions are a clear night with no moon. Be sure to stay away from city lights. Usually, the best viewing usually occurs between midnight and dawn. 

Good luck… and no umbrellas needed for these showers!

Talk to you soon!