Have you and your children ever gone star gazing? Your Blasters get to see space from inside the space station in Math Blaster, but were they able to check out the Geminid Meteor Shower that happened just last Thursday on December 13?
Meteoroids are a collection of various particles in space, and they can be as small as grains of sand or as big as boulders. When meteoroids pass through Earth’s atmosphere, the path they are falling in can be visible to humans — this is called a meteor. A meteor shower is an event that occurs in space when meteors are seen “falling” from a particular area in the night sky, which is why meteors have nicknames like “shooting star” or “falling star.”
The most recent meteor shower seen is called the Geminid Meteor Shower. According to scientists, the Geminid Meteors originated from the constellation of Gemini. Another interesting fact about the Geminid Meteors is that they were supposed to be the best meteor shower show of any during the year.
Meteors showers can be displayed in different ways. Particularly strong and abnormal meteor showers are called “meteor outbursts” or “meteor storms.” Also, although it was mentioned before that meteors range in size, it is lucky for Earth’s inhabitants that most meteors are no bigger than a grain of sand. When meteors actually hit the earth’s surface, it is then called a meteorite, just as we talked about with our Moroccan Meteorite post.
If you and your Blasters missed this meteor shower, there is no need to worry — there are meteor showers all year round! Some of the more famous meteor showers include the Perseid Meteor Shower and the Leonid Meteor Shower.
Go online with your child and research about the different meteor showers that happen throughout the year. Learn more about this fantastic celestial spectacle, and perhaps you can grab a telescope and watch the next one together!
Filed under: Current Events, Family Fun, Just for Fun, Parents and Kids, Science Facts, Technology and Kids, Uncategorized Tagged: | Geminid Meteors, Meteor Shower, Parents & Kids, space
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