meteors

When it comes to astronomy, every year is a little different and every year brings its highlights. This year starts with the Quadrantid meteor shower and every planet, except Mercury, is visible in the evening sky. Learn more about what we'll see in the sky in 2023!

We’ve all seen them - an apparently random streak of light across the night sky that often vanishes as suddenly as it appears. Meteors, or shooting stars as they’re popularly known, are nothing more than tiny clumps of dust and rock particles, no larger than an apple seed, burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere at thousands of miles per hour.

Shooting stars, or meteors, to give them their scientific name, have remained a source of wonder and speculation for thousands of years. They can appear randomly and without warning on almost any given night, but there are times when there seem to be far more than usual. So what is a meteor shower? What does it look like? And what’s the best way to see one?

Look up at the sky on any clear, dark night and you’ll find yourself staring at hundreds of stars. It’s impossible to tell, but these stars are actually slowly moving through space. Of course, you’d have to wait a long time to notice any change, but very occasionally you might see what looks like a star go streaking across the sky. Obviously, the stars don’t move that quickly or fall from the sky, so what exactly is a shooting star? What’s a fireball? And why do meteor showers occur?

Almost everyone has seen a shooting star at some point. Technically known as meteors, these streaks of light often appear suddenly and without warning before fading and disappearing just as quickly. What are they? Where do they come from? And which meteor showers are best?

We’ve all seen them - an apparently random streak of light across the night sky that often vanishes as suddenly as it appears. Meteors, or shooting stars as they’re popularly known, are nothing more than tiny clumps of dust and rock particles, no larger than an apple seed, burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere at thousands of miles per hour.

While almost everyone has seen a shooting star, not everyone knows much about them. What are they? Where do they come from? Are they purely random or can you predict when they might appear? What are the best meteor showers this year?