Making a Wish

By Elizabeth Tomsik,  11th Grade

I grew up making a wish every year when I blew out my birthday cake candles and on the rare occasion when I spotted a falling star.   It was shocking, therefore, to learn that a “falling star” has nothing at all to do with a star! These miraculous streaks of light that you can occasionally see in the night sky are caused by tiny bits of dust and rock called meteoroids falling into the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up.

A meteoroid is a piece of stony or metallic debris that travels in outer space. They travel at about 500 feet per second and are about the size of a pebble. When one of these pieces of debris enters the Earth’s atmosphere, friction between the debris and the atmosphere causes it to heat so that it glows and becomes visible to our eyes. This streak of light in the sky is known as a meteor. A meteor glows for only a few seconds before burning up and hitting the Earth’s surface. The remaining bit that actually hits the Earth is called a meteorite.

At certain times of the year, one is more likely to see numerous meteors in the night sky. This happens during meteor showers and these events occur when the Earth passes through a trail of debris left by a comet as it orbits the Sun. The illustration shows how the path of the Earth would intersect with this stream of comet.

Recently I saw eight “falling stars” or meteors in the sky as we were driving late in the night. There are meteor showers are annual events that named based on the constellation that is present in the sky from which they appear to originate. If you would like to see a “falling star” or meteor and “make a wish”, the table shows the approximate dates for one to target to increase your chances of viewing a meteor in the night sky.

Annual Meteor Showers
Name	When They Occur
Quadrantids	January 1-6
April Lyrids	April 19-24
Eta Aquarids	May 1-8
Delta Aquarids	July 15- August 15
Perseids	July 25 - August 18
Orionids	October 16-27
Taurids	October 20-November 30
Leonids	November 15-20
Geminids	December 7-15