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For Kids: Activities

Meteor Showers: Where, When, and How to Look for Them

First of all, let's start with the basics.

What Is a Meteor and a Meteor Shower?

A meteor (more commonly called a shooting star, or falling star) appears suddenly as a narrow streak of light across the sky. Even though it may look like a falling star, the truth is that meteors are just pieces of dust burning up in the Earth's atmosphere.

On average, the Earth encounters 4-5 meters per hour, every hour of the day. When that number jumps to 15 or more per hour, then you have a meteor shower. There are 10 "major" meteor showers (15 or more meteors per hour) during the year.

How to Observe

Meteor showers are one of the easiest astronomical events to observe. All you need to do is go outside and look up. You don't need a telescope or a pair of binoculars. Your eyes can provide you with the best, wide-angle view possible.

However, there are a few simple tips you can follow to make your meteor shower experience even more successful. They are:

Tip #1: Get away from city lights. The darker the skies, the more meteors you will be able to see.
Tip #2: Bring along comfort items such as: lawn chair, blanket (even in the warmer climates, it can get cool at night), bug repellant, and your favorite hot beverage.
Tip #3: Sit back, look up, and enjoy the show.

When to Look

The best time to view meteors is from midnight to dawn, looking towards the eastern sky. But, if you can't stay up that long, anytime during the peak night of the shower should be okay.

What Causes Meteor Showers?

Comets. The dust particles that cause a meteor shower are leftover debris from passing comets. As a comet travels close to the Sun, its icy surface melts and leaves behind a cloud of dust. When the Earth passes through that dust cloud, the night skies light up with meteors.

On November 18, 2001, the early morning sky lit up with hundreds of meteors as the Earth passed directly through four trails left by comet Tempel-Tuttle. Those who were lucky enough to witness the event saw hundreds of meteors, but these meteor "storms" are rare. Still, one bright meteor makes a night of watching all worth while.

How to Photograph Meteors

Taking pictures of meteors requires a great deal of patience and luck. Since it is impossible to predict when a meteor will streak across the sky, your best chance of capturing a meteor on film is through long exposure photography. Following are some photography tips:

Tip #1: Get away from any lights.
Tip #2: Use the widest angle lens you have for your camera.
Tip #3: If possible, set the camera's f/stop at the widest setting (smallest number: i.e. f4)
Tip #4: Set your camera on a tripod.
Tip #5: Attach a cable release, if you have one.
Tip #6: Aim the camera towards the east, rather high up in the sky.
Tip #7: Click the shutter open and wait.

The longer the shutter is open, the more of a chance you have of actually catching a meteor on film. However, if the shutter is open for longer than about 25 seconds, the camera will start recording the Earth's rotation and the stars will become elongated. The Earth is turning your camera away from the fixed stars, so the pinpoints of light will gradually streak. The longer the shutter is open, the longer the star streaks. If you are lucky, a meteor will still show up on your picture as a bright streak, usually headed in a different direction than all of the stars.