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​What are Meteors?

​What are Meteors?

  Secondary | Space | Views: 7967

Have fun researching Meteors!

Use this Meteors Link  to access the National Geographic Encyclopaedia entry on Meteors. 


Fast Facts - What is a meteor?

  • A meteor is a meteoroid – or a particle broken off an asteroid or comet orbiting the Sun – that burns up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, creating the effect of a “shooting star”. 
  • Nearly all meteors are tiny dust particles, about the size of a grain of sand travelling at tens of kilometres per second through space.
  • If a meteor survives its transit of the atmosphere to come to rest on the Earth’s surface, the resulting object is called a meteorite.
  • A meteor striking the Earth or other object may produce an impact crater.
  • The fastest meteors travel at speeds of 71 kilometers (44 miles) per second.
  • Scientists think up to 50 metric tons of meteors fall on the Earth each day, but most are no bigger than a pebble.


Meteor Showers

Usually, just a few meteors are visible over the course of an hour, but sometimes the sky is filled with lights that look like heavenly fireworks. These meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the orbit of a comet. Watch a meteor shower in the Meteor Showers 101 video from The National Geographic using the link at the bottom of the page


See the Perseid meteor shower between mid July and Mid August 2024 

The Perseid meteor shower reaches it's peak on the 12th August. 

Find out more about this phenomenon including tips on how to get the best view from the Natural History Museums website here.

If you've missed it don't worry there's plenty more! 

Meteor showers to look out for in 2024

The Delta Aquariids: due to peak 30 July - up to 25 meteors per hour, possible trail of comet 96P/Machholz.

The Perseids: due to peak 12-13 August - 100 meteors per hour from the trail of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

The Draconids: due to peak 8-9 October - under 10 meteors per hour- from trail of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.

The Orionids: due to peak 21-22 October - up to 25 meteors per hour from trail of the comet 1P/Halley. (Halley’s comet)

The Southern Taurids : due to peak 10-11th October- possible 5 per hour, very slow meteors

The Northern Taurids: due to peak  12-13 November - possible five meteors per hour from the trails of comet 2P/Encke or associated objects.

The Leonids: due to peak 17-18 November - with 10 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

The Geminids: due to peak 14-15 December - more than 100 meteors per hour from the trail of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon (NB. although it is officially classified as an asteroid, it produces a tail like a comet.)

The Ursids: due to peak on 22-23 December - usually produces fewer than 10 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 8P/Tuttle.

Access the Meteor Showers 101 video from The National Geographic here


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