Meteor Showers

A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories. Most meteors are smaller than a grain of sand, so almost all of them disintegrate and never hit the Earth's surface. Very intense or unusual meteor showers are known as meteor outbursts and meteor storms, which produce at least 1,000 meteors an hour, most notably from the Leonids. The Meteor Data Centre lists over 900 suspected meteor showers of which about 100 are well established. Several organizations point to viewing opportunities on the Internet. NASA maintains a daily map of active meteor showers.

Read more in the app

Ever wonder why some meteor showers are so unpredictable? - EurekAlert!

Ever wonder why some meteor showers are so unpredictable?

April Flowers, Bring Meteor Showers: Catch the April Lyrid and Eta Aquariid Meteor Showers

How to spot the 2025 Lyrids and Eta Aquarids meteor showers

Eclipses, meteor showers and more: The must-see skywatching events of 2025

Meteor Showers May One Day Help Protect Humanity!

Meteor Showers May One Day Help Protect Humanity!

Meteor Showers May One Day Help Protect Humanity!

2025 Meteor Showers Guide: Schedule Your Skywatching Adventures

November brings a bonanza of meteor showers

Astronomers Predict the Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Comets From Meteor Showers

Astronomers Predict the Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Comets From Meteor Showers

Astronomers Predict the Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Comets From Meteor Showers

Explaining Different Kinds of Meteor Showers. It’s the Way the Comet Crumbles

Explaining Different Kinds of Meteor Showers. It's the Way the Comet Crumbles

Explaining Different Kinds of Meteor Showers. It's the Way the Comet Crumbles

No, NASA's DART asteroid impact probably won't spark meteor showers on Earth — but maybe on Mars

Meteor showers shed light on where comets formed in the early solar system - EurekAlert

Meteor showers shed light on where comets formed in the early solar system

Could the Perseid meteor shower threaten satellites and astronauts on the International Space Station?