A period of unusually frequent meteors, or shooting stars, all appearing to radiate from a single point in the sky, produced when Earth's orbit carries it through a trail of dust and debris shed by a comet or, less often, an asteroid. Each debris fragment burns up in a brief, bright streak as it enters the atmosphere at high speed, and because Earth passes through the same debris trail annually, major showers such as the Perseids and Geminids recur at predictable times each year.
Facts
PeriodicityMeteor showers recur annually or at other regular intervals because Earth's orbit repeatedly carries it through the same trail of debris shed by a comet or, occasionally, an asteroid 1 ScaleAt their peak, major annual showers such as the Perseids and Geminids typically reach a zenith hourly rate of around 75 meteors per hour 2 First DescribedThe Lyrids are the oldest meteor shower with a continuous observational record, documented in Chinese records dating back to 687 BC 2 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe meteors of a shower appear as streaks of light that all seem to radiate outward from a single point in the sky, the radiant, for which the shower is usually named 1 Sources
1. NASA Science - Meteor Showers
Overview section
Meteor showers occur annually or at regular intervals as Earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by a comet and, in a few cases, asteroids.
Appearance section
Meteors are seen as streaks of light coming from a central point in the sky.
View the Source2. Wikipedia - Meteor Shower
Rates section
The showers typically showing the highest ZHR are the Perseids (75/hr), Geminids (75/hr), and Quadrantids (60/hr).
History section
The Lyrids meteor shower is the oldest such event to be continuously recorded, with records in China dating back to 687 BCE.
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