Meteor Showers. If you look up into a dark sky on any clear night you are bound to see a streak of light shoot across the sky.
With all the space junk humankind has sent into Earth orbit, that streak could be the disintegration of a man-made object re-entering our atmosphere. However, in most cases the incoming object has a more natural origin. These sky streaks, which most folks call shooting stars, are leftover material from the creation of our solar system. Meteorshowersonline.com. Meteor Showers. 2012 Meteor Showers. NOTES These are approximate times for the Lower 48 states; actual shower times can vary.
Bright moonlight makes it difficult to see all but the brightest meteors. What is a meteor shower? A meteor shower is a spike in the number of meteors or "shooting stars" that streak through the night sky. Most meteor showers are spawned by comets. As a comet orbits the Sun it sheds an icy, dusty debris stream along its orbit.