Meteors
Space rocks that have been broken off of larger celestial bodies into smaller pieces.
What is a meteor?
When a lot of meteors are seen originating from one point in the sky from Earth.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower that peaks annually in December.
What are the Geminids?
Which meteor shower is bright and intensely colored
The Geminids
The nickname of the bright trail of light behind a meteor when entering the atmosphere
What is a "shooting star"?
The point in the sky where meteors in a meteor shower appear to be originating from.
What is the radiant?
Meteor shower typically peaking in July- August.
What is the perseid meteor shower?
What causes the wide range of speeds entering Earth's atmosphere?
The side of the Earth that is facing the sun.
Tens of kilometers long, 1 meter in diameter
How big is the bright flash of light from a meteor?
What is the optimal watch time for most meteor showers?
Around 12:00 A.M.
How many annual meteor showers are there every year?
9
How much meteoritic material falls to earth per day?
Approximately 48.5 tons per day.
What causes the bright flash of light from the meteor?
The high level of kinetic energy.
How fast do meteors enter earths atmosphere?
11km/sec-72km/sec
What are meteor showers named after?
The constellation where the radiant lies during the time of the meteor shower.
The place in the atmosphere where most meteor showers occur
What is the thermosphere?
Can range from particles the size of small dust grains to a small pebble and can weigh less than 1-2 grams.
How big are meteors?
How many meteors enter Earth during a meteor shower?
10-50 meteors per hour-50 to 100 meteors per hour
Why do we have annual meteor showers?
Earths orbit crosses through the comets debris every year
What is a meteor with asteroid origin made of?
Dense, stony, metallic material