
Eta Aquarid meteor shower 2024: Where, when and how to see it
Reference The Eta Aquarid meteor shower from late April to mid-May offers a long stretch of spectacular "shooting stars" that even a casual observer can spot in the night sky.
Meteors, also known as shooting stars, are pieces of dust and debris from space that burn up in Earth's atmosphere, where they can create bright streaks across the night sky. When Earth passes through the dusty trail of a comet or asteroid's orbit, the many streaks of light in the sky are known as a meteor shower. Particularly large chunks of material can create an extra-bright fireball streak, but most meteors are still small enough to entirely burn up in Earth's atmosphere. If a meteor makes it to Earth it's known as a meteorite. Before they hit atmosphere the objects are called meteoroids.
Related Topics: Asteroids, Aurora Borealis, Comets