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Astronomy Year / Week 10 / Sky Night
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Week 10 · Shooting Stars

Sky Night

Sky Night: meteor count
// Meteors and meteor showers
⏱ about 15 min

Sky Night: Meteor count

Rocket, Raven and Nova lie on a blanket with a grown-up.

They wait. They watch. They wait some more.

Zip! "One!" Rocket whispers. Raven makes a tally mark.

Nova glows red. "Hint: keep your eyes relaxed and wide."

  1. A shooting star is a meteor, not a star.
  2. Meteor showers happen when Earth crosses a comet's trail.
  3. You only need your eyes to watch.
  4. Real stars are faraway suns.
Safety first
Go outside only with a grown-up.
Stay near home in a safe, open spot.
Use a red light, not a white one.
Watch your step in the dark.
Dress warmly. Lie on a blanket, not on a road or driveway.

Your Sky Night mission

  1. Go to your dark spot with your grown-up.
  2. Lie back and let your eyes adjust.
  3. Start a 20 minute timer.
  4. Make a tally mark for each meteor you see.
  5. Count your tally marks at the end.
Meteor logWhat I saw
Minutes I watched
Meteors I counted
Brightest meteor: which part of the sky?
Moon: up or not up?
SKY NIGHT CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
You saw a bright streak zip by. What did you see?
Cloudy night?
Make a meteor shower picture instead.
Draw Earth and a comet with a long, dusty trail.
Draw Earth passing through the trail.
Add bright streaks where the crumbs zip into our air.
◇ METEOR WATCH WITH YOUR GROWN-UP
Each of you count meteors.
Compare your counts at the end.
Talk about the brightest one you saw.

What a watch! Next week we explore dark skies and the Milky Way.

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