Kristen's Classroom: Meteor showers

AUSTIN (KXAN) - They're one of our universe's most dazzling displays and if you catch them at the right time, they are sure to put on a show. We're talking about meteor showers in today's Kristen's Classroom.

What is a meteor shower?

A meteor is defined as a piece of space rock flying through Earth's atmosphere. It's given the name meteorite if it reaches Earth's surface. NASA defines a meteor shower as an event that features many meteors or meteoroids occurring at once. This most often occurs when Earth sits in the debris path of a passing comet or asteroid.

Annual meteor showers

The American Meteor Society lists nine major meteor showers observers can look forward to every year. There are dozens more that occur during the year but the most well-known and most-active meteor showers are as follows:

How to watch a meteor shower

Best viewing of any meteor shower requires a dark location with as little light pollution as possible. You'll want to give your eyes a good 30-45 minutes to adjust to the darkness.

To see as much as the sky as possible, experts suggest you lie flat on your back.

Most meteors during a shower are best observed after midnight and before dawn.

As to what direction to look, that'll depend on the meteor shower. As a tip, meteor showers are named based on what star or constellation is closest to the center or radiant. So if you are wanting to catch the Perseids meteor shower, position yourself so that you have a good viewing of the Perseus constellation.

Fun Facts

• Meteors can often have red, yellow and green tails caused by the ionization of molecules.
• Annual meteor showers are replenished as comets continuously eject materials while orbiting the sun.
• Some meteor showers have been recognized for more than 100 years.

Below are more meteor shower facts:

For details on how to view the next visible meteor shower, click here.