Astronomy

Common Core State Standard

CT Science Standards: 3.1, 4.1, 5.3
Common Core Standards: RI (Reading Standards for Informational Text): grades 3-5(1,2,3,5,7) and RF (Reading Standards for Foundational Skills): grades 2-5(4)

Meteor Showers: You Won’t Need an Umbrella!

Written by Noreen Grice, Travelers Science Dome Planetarium

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and seen a “shooting star”? Some people even make a wish when they see one.
Would that wish come true if it wasn’t really a star?

It turns out that “shooting stars” are really small rocks from space entering Earth’s atmosphere. We call them meteoroids, and they are very small: about the size of a
pea or a grain of sand. But they travel fast!

Try this. Rub your hands together as fast as you can. Do your hands feel hot? Probably, because skin rubbing up against skin feels hot. When space rocks enter Earth’s
atmosphere, they are moving at thousands of miles per hour as they rub up against the molecules in our air. This causes the rocks to heat and light up quickly. Most
of them burn up in the sky and look like the quick streak of light we call a meteor. When you see lots of meteors at night, you might be seeing a meteor shower.

Meteoroids are leftover stuff from comets. When a comet visits the inner solar system, it is warmed by the Sun and leaves a trail of leftover
particles. As Earth travels around the Sun, it might cross paths with this trail of particles, giving us a meteor shower.

Each meteor shower is named after the part of the sky where you can see it. For example, the Geminids meteor shower appears
to come from the constellation Gemini and the Perseids meteor shower appears to come from the constellation of Perseus. This is
handy to know so you can focus your attention upon a certain area of the sky.

There’s a meteor shower almost every month, but sometimes the moon gets in the way. If a bright moon phase like the Full Moon
is visible at the same time as the meteor shower, you might not be able to see the meteors. That’s because meteors are much fainter
than a bright moon. Many calendars list the moon’s phase, and that will help you predict whether the moon might be a problem for
viewing. Check the calendar you have at home to see if it does!

Did You Know Fun Things To Do

Astronomers have been able to match the paths of many comets with meteor Have a meteor shower viewing party!
showers. If a comet returns to the inner solar system, it can replenish the trail
of particles and make its meteor shower even more spectacular in the future!
1
Gather friends and adult family members to watch the meteors.
Bring a comfortable folding chair, a note pad (pages without
lines work best), a pencil, a flashlight and snacks. Tape a piece
Here are some meteor showers and their comets: of red paper over the end of the flashlight where the light
comes out. You want the light to look red so your eyes will
Meteor stay sensitive to the dark night sky.
Shower Constellation Best Viewing Associated Comet
Lyrids
Perseids
Lyra
Perseus
April 21 (after midnight) Comet Thatcher 2 Ifblanket.
the meteor shower happens during cold months, dress warmly and bring a
If the meteor shower happens in the summer, bring insect repellent!
August 12 (after 11 pm) Comet Swift-Tuttle
Orionids Orion Oct 20 (after 11 pm) Comet Halley
Leonids Leo Nov 17 (2am–sunrise) Comet Tempel-Tuttle 3 You don’t want to use a telescope, as that magnifies just a small area. You
want to look with your eyes to see a wide view of the sky. Print out a star
The peak of a meteor shower is when you can see the most meteors in one map so you’ll know where to find the constellation for your meteor shower.
night. However, you can see some meteors a day or two before the peak and Avoid viewing near streetlights, and be sure to face the part of the sky where
a day or two after the peak. If you miss the exact peak or the Moon is bright the meteors will appear.
on that night, you can still catch part of the shower!
4 Beandpatient. Meteors won’t appear all at once. You might see a meteor streak
then not see one for a few minutes. Or you might
see dozens of meteors a minute. It all depends on the
meteor shower.

Have fun! 5 Make a sketch of the particular constellation for the

meteor shower. Every time you see a meteor, draw the
path of the meteor over the constellation. When you’re
done, you’ll have a great memory for your scrapbook!