Meteors

Maximum	Meteor shower	Constellation	Meteors per hour
Jan 3	Quadrantids	Bootes	85
Jan 17	delta Cancrids	Cancer	4
Feb 8	alpha Centaurids	Centaurus	7
Feb 24	delta Leonids	Leo	2
Mar 13	gamma Normids	Norma	8
Mar 24	Virginids	Virgo	5
Apr 20	April Piscids	Pisces	4
Apr 22	Lyrids	Lyra	15
Apr 23	pi Puppids	Puppis	Up to 40
Apr 24	delta Piscids	Pisces	4
May 3	alpha Scorpids	Scorpius	5
May 6	eta Aquarids	Aquarius	30
May 9	epsilon Arietids	Aries	4
May 16	May Arietids	Aries	4
May 20	o-Cetids	Cetus	4
May 20	Sagittarids	Sagittarius	5
Jun 7	Arietids	Aries	60
Jun 9	zeta Perseids	Perseus	40
Jun 16	June Lyrids	Lyra	5
Jun 27	June Bootids	Bootes	Up to 100
Jun 28	beta Taurids	Taurus	25
Jul 9	Pegasids	Pegasus	3
Jul 13	July Phoenicids	Phoenix	Up to 10
Jul 28	southern delta Aquarids	Aquarius	20
Jul 28	Piscis Austrinids	Pisces Austrinus	5
Jul 30	alpha Capricornids	Capricorn	8
Aug 4	southern iota Aquarids	Aquarius	2 to 4
Aug 8	northern delta Aquarids	Aquarius	4
Aug 12	Perseids	Perseus	100
Aug 18	kappa Cygnids	Cygnus	3
Aug 20	Northern iota Aquarids	Aquarius	3
Sep 1	alpha Aurigids	Auriga	7
Sep 9	delta Aurigids	Auriga	6
Sep 20	Piscids	Piscis	3
Oct 8	Draconids (or Giacobinids)	Draco	20
Oct 21	Orionids	Orion	20
Oct 18	epsilon Geminids	Gemini	2
Nov 5	Southern Taurids	Taurus	15
Nov 12	Northern Taurids	Taurus	15
Nov 17	Leonids	Leo	80
Nov 21	alpha Monocerotids	Monoceros	5 to 200
Dec 2	chi Orionids	Orion	3
Dec 6	Phoenicids	Phoenix	3 to 100
Dec 7	Puppid-Velids	Puppis	10
Dec 9	Monocerotids	Monoceros	3
Dec 12	sigma Hydrids	Hydra	2 to 5
Dec 14	Geminids	Gemini	70
Dec 20	Coma Berenids	Coma Berenices	5
Dec 22	Ursids	Ursa Minor	10 to 50

*The highlighted meteor showers are the four most widely observed and are usually the best during the year.

The dates of the meteor showers will vary by a day or 2 from one year to the next because of leap years and other factors.  So the dates above are the average date of the meteor showers.

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Meteors are usually just small pieces of material, between the size of a grain of sand and a marble, and are often left behind by comets. These particles run into the Earth's atmosphere and burn up due to friction. On an average night away from city lights you can see around 7 or 8 meteors while watching the sky for an hour. But there are times of the year that you could see more meteors when the Earth runs into swarms of these particles. The times when we can see more meteors are called meteor showers. Many meteor showers are caused when we run into a swarm of dust particles left by a comet or asteroid. Comets are dirty snowballs that are usually a few miles in diameter. When comets get close to the sun they begin to melt. The melted materials, both gas and dust, are pushed away from the comet by the sun's energy creating the tail. The dust debris left behind by a comet can cause a meteor shower.  Also some asteroids will have a trail of debris that could cause meteor showers.

Try observing the meteors for a week or so before and/or after the maximum date. It's best to observe meteors after midnight far away from city lights on a night without the moon in the sky. We recommend going to a state park camping site. For comfort you might want to take a lounge chair, a sleeping bag and bug repellant. You could see as many as 100 meteors in an hour of observing away from the city lights.

MORE INFO on Meteor Showers

 

METEORITE

When a meteor does not burn up completely and lands on the earth it is called a meteorite. In Dallas County, Texas there has only been one meteorite that has been found, tested and confirmed to be a meteorite. It is on display in the exhibit area at The Science Place Planetarium Building. A farmer found it in the 1930's.

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Experiment!!!

You could find your own meteorite!

This activity requires almost no set-up and can be done by any member of the family. What is collected from the rain water COULD BE micrometeorites. Most of the material collected may be from the roofing material, trees, soot, volcanic ash, or some other natural or man-made material. DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED IF YOU DON'T COLLECT ANYTHING THAT MAY BE A MICROMETEORITE! Remember that most of the Earth is covered by water and any "space dust" may settle in the ocean instead of the top of your house.

Purpose:
To collect particles that may be micrometeorites from rain water.

Materials:
Coffee filters (or thin cheesecloth or other filter material), plastic bucket or jar, magnet, plain white paper, magnifying glass or microscope, and rain.

Procedure:
1. Place the bucket or jar in a location that can collect a good amount of rain water such as at the bottom of a rain gutter. Place the container off the ground if possible to keep dirt from bouncing or splashing into the container.

2. Place the filter material at the bottom of the container so it can collect the settling dust and stuff.

3. After collecting a good amount of rain water in the container, set the magnet gently at the bottom of the container. Gently move the magnet around near the surface of the filter. This should collect some "metallic" substances - large sized.

4. Gently remove the magnet and its collected material from the bucket and water and place the sample on the plain white paper. Look at the collected material with the magnifying glass or microscope. WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SPHERICAL - LOOKING OBJECTS. These ball shaped objects may be the micrometeorites you are looking for.

5. You may repeat the process for smaller particles by gently pouring your rain water into another container with a filter on top of it to collect the smaller particles. Repeat the process with the magnet and see if you see any smaller spherical objects. If so, THEY MIGHT BE space dust.

Note: There is no guarantee that anything you collect will be from space. But, you never know! Have fun prospectors.

 

For more information:

North American Meteor Network
International Meteor Organization
American Meteor Society
Texas State Parks