What Exactly are Meteor Showers and Are They Dangerous?

Have you ever made a wish on a shooting star? It’s a great way to make your dreams come true – or so they say. Interestingly, though, you’re actually wishing on a streak of glowing air on the tailwind of a hot rock from outer space.

Let’s examine what exactly are meteor showers and whether or not they’re dangerous.

What Is a Meteor?

A meteor is a streak of light in the sky caused by a meteoroid, or lump of rock, falling into the earth’s atmosphere from outer space.

Most meteoroids are relatively small in size because they’re usually fragments of rock from asteroid collisions. Asteroids are rocky objects that perpetually orbit the sun, much like planets, except they’re much smaller than planets.

Meteoroids can also come from comets which also orbit the sun while shedding dust and debris.

How Often Do They Fall?

Here’s part of the reason why meteoroids aren’t very dangerous: they’re falling all around us every day. Scientists estimate about 50 tons of meteors fall to the earth every day. Truth is, most are no larger than a pebble.

And not every meteor makes it down to planet earth. Many of them incinerate in the atmosphere long before hitting the earth’s surface.

However, once a meteor makes its way into the earth’s atmosphere, it’s then referred to as a meteorite.

Why Do Meteors Glow?

It would be difficult to know when to make a wish if you couldn’t see the glow of a meteor from the backyard. So, what causes them to glow?

Meteors enter through the earth’s upper atmosphere, which is quite hot. That’s putting it mildly, though, as temperatures at this elevation can be as high as 3,600°F.

The meteoroid is not only heating up due to the temperature of the atmosphere, but also the friction from the air as it falls sometimes as quickly as 44 miles per second.

That level of heat causes the gasses around the meteoroid to glow, hence the name shooting star or falling star.

What Are Meteor Showers?

A single streak from a meteoroid may occasionally be spotted from the night sky. But, when the sky lights up with what’s called a meteor shower, that means the earth passed through the orbit of one of those comets circling around the sun.

As comets travel around the sun, they shed small particles that leave a trail of dust behind them. They shed because, as the comet gets closer to the sun, pieces of its icy surface boil off.

When the earth orbits through a comet’s tail, those particles collide with our (extremely hot) atmosphere and create colorful streaks that comprise a shower.

Those colorful streaks are so vibrant, you don’t even need a telescope to view them even though they typically occur in the earth’s mesosphere, which is about 31-53 miles above the surface of the earth.

Are Meteor Showers Dangerous?

The short answer is, “Not usually.” Although meteoroids can range in size from a particle of dust to a boulder, they’re rarely ever that large.

Also, to qualify as a shower, astronomers need to see anywhere from 15 - 50 meteors fall per hour. The average is three to four per hour.

Most meteors burn off in the earth’s atmosphere, leaving little chance they’ll actually hit the surface of the earth. And those that do enter the atmosphere have already been impacted by friction from the air and unbelievably high temperatures.

That’s why we can see meteors shooting across the sky and then never know where they go. They usually disintegrate into nothing more than a memory.

The Greatest Meteor Shower of All Time

Speaking of memories, one of the greatest meteor showers of all time was called the Starry Snowfall of November 13, 1833.

Technically speaking, it was a meteor storm. To be considered a storm, astronomers need to see thousands of meteors falling per hour – a very rare event.

Observers all across the United States compared the Starry Snowfall to thick snow falling in a snowstorm. You can imagine how that would’ve been equally thrilling and terrifying. But, again, what actually landed on the earth was very small.

When’s the Best Time to See a Meteor Shower?

With danger out of the way, you may be interested to see a meteor shower. The first thing to note is that you won’t see much of a shower if there’s a full moon because a dark night is the best time to catch a glimpse of a ‘shooting star.’

And you know what they say about the darkest hour coming just before dawn? That’s actually true, making it the ideal time to catch a shower. Between midnight and dawn are your best bets.

In terms of the calendar year, some say November is the best month for observing meteor showers because that’s when showers like the Starry Snowfall occurred.

Why Are Meteor Showers Named?

Meteor showers are often named based on their location in a constellation. So, Leonids take place when they cross paths with the constellation Leo. The Starry Snowfall was a Leonid.

Geminids are also touted as popular opportunities to see meteor showers. These peak during mid-December and are said to produce some of the brightest and most reliable meteor showers.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac publishes an annual meteor shower calendar that can also give you a good idea of what to expect.

The best spots for seeing a meteor shower are in areas without a lot of light pollution. The ideal place is a field, or high up on a hill or mountain.

Are Meteor Showers Dangerous?

In terms of odds, the likelihood of a meteor shower causing you or your property any harm is minimal. Don’t be afraid to get out there and search for a shower, especially Leonids and Geminids towards the end of the year.

It’s a special spectacle and, if you’re lucky, you may be able to observe your very own Starry Snowfall once in your lifetime.

Watching Meteor Showers is a fun, free, and family-friendly activity—and it takes just a few minutes to experience something extraordinary. Share this story with friends, family, or your group chat.