Catch a Meteor
A Soar Together @ Air and Space Family Day Activity
Designed for families with kids ages 5 and up
Every year, visitors from space come to Earth. But don't worry! This "visit" is courtesy of meteors and meteoroids!
This activity shares tips on how and when to view meteors.
Animated GIF of a Geminid meteor falling towards Earth.
Credit: NASA/George Varros
What is a meteor?
When meteoroids (pieces of rock and dust from space) fall through Earth’s atmosphere and glow brightly, we call them meteors—though some say they look like “shooting stars.”
Meteors fall very fast through the air, and friction created between the meteor and the air particles cause them to heat up and glow.
Dozens of meteors fall to Earth every day, and while they are hard to see from cities where bright lights flood the sky, people in rural areas and darker towns can often spot them.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is when a larger amount of meteors than normal seem to be “shooting” from the same spot in the sky.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes us through a debris field. These debris fields are often made up of a trail of cosmic dust left behind by a comet. The millions of tiny particles can create a “shower” of dozens of meteors per hour.
How do you "catch" a meteor?
The best way to view, or "catch", a meteor shower is to get away from bright lights and to a place with darker skies. Find a flat area with few trees or buildings, then lie back and let your eyes take in the whole sky. Any time a streak of light appears, your eyes will go right to it because you’ll sense the movement.
Telescopes or binoculars won’t help you see meteors, but they are great for looking at other objects like Mars and Saturn while you wait for shooting stars to appear.
Geminids Meteor Shower in Northern Hemisphere
Image credit: Asim Patel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When can you catch a meteor shower?
You can find out when the next meteor shower will happen from the American Meteor Society (amsmeteors.org) with their weekly forecasts.
Gather your skygazing supplies and enjoy the sight!