Meteor Watch Day
About Meteor Watch Day
When is Meteor Watch Day? This holiday is always observed on June 30
We sure hope that the weather in your area calls for clear, moonless skies tonight. Today is Meteor Watch Day, a June 30 holiday. The warm June nights are a perfect time to look to the skies for meteor showers. Will you be lucky enough to see meteors streaking across the night sky? We sure hope so.
Also called “Shooting Stars” or “Falling Stars”, meteors are space dust and ice that enter the earth’s atmosphere. Meteors can be as small as a speck of dust. As they enter the atmosphere at high speeds, they burn up, producing light as they streak across the night sky while tumbling towards the earth. Sometimes, you see them streak across the sky and disappear at the horizon. Other times, they end suddenly, burning out right before your eyes.
Seeing a shooting star is a sign of good luck. With a little luck, you can see a meteor on just about any night of the year. But, the best time to see meteors is during a meteor shower. There are several meteor showers each year. The best annual show is the Perseid Meteor shower each August.
Song of the Day: “Catch a Falling Star” sung by Perry Como
Major Annual Meteor Showers
| Meteor Shower Name: | Month: |
| Andromedid | November |
| Delta Aquarids | Late July |
| Draconid | October |
| Eta Aquarid | May |
| Geminid | December |
| Leonid | November |
| Lyrid | April |
| Perseid | August |
| Taurid | November |
| Quandrid | January |
| Ursid | December |
Asteroids Versus Meteors
The terms Asteroid, Meteor, and Meteorite are often confusing. Here are the definitions:
Asteroids are objects in space that orbit the sun. They are of any size in space. They are sometimes called “space rocks”. It’s the big ones that we worry may potentially hit the earth and cause catastrophic damage.
Meteors are asteroids that enter the earth’s atmosphere. Most meteors burn up in the earth’s atmosphere, putting on a light display as they streak across the sky.
Meteorites are small meteors, sometimes as small as a grain of sand. A meteor that survives the atmosphere to hit the earth’s surface is called a meteorite.
Comets – consist mostly of ice and dust. It orbits the sun or comes from the outer reaches of the solar system. They develop a tail as they near the sun and the sun heats them up.
How to Celebrate Meteor Watch Day
- Head outdoors on a clear June night. Look up at the sky and watch for meteors.
- Learn more about meteors that struck the earth. You will be amazed at the danger they can do.
- If your camera has a night setting, bring it along. If you’re really lucky, you might capture a picture of a meteor as it tumbles toward the earth.
Today's Quote
“I really don’t mind getting older, but my body is taking it really hard.” – – Author Unknown
History and Origin of Meteor Watch Day
Our research did not find the creator or the origin of this day. Perhaps, it was a stargazer too captivated by the mystical beauty of the heavens to bother with the trivial task of documenting this holiday.
We do find it odd that Meteor Watch Day is held on a day when there are no known major meteor showers (see major meteor shower events above)
Several site visitors speculate that this day was created on this day to commemorate June 30, 1908, when a meteor explosion in Siberia knocked down trees in a 40-mile radius and struck people unconscious some 40 miles away. We tend to agree with this theory.
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More About Today
Flower of the Day: Daylilies
Recipe of the Day: Tomato Onion Cheese Casserole
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