Make A Wish

Parseid Meteoroids (13 August 2011)

Have you ever make a wish on a shooting star? I know I have. When we were young, we are told by parents and friends that wishing upon a shooting star might make our wish come true. But do you know what a shooting star really is? Shooting stars travel so incredibly fast that it is almost impossible to take a picture on Earth, so here is a shooting star from an angle in space.The meteoroids got pull in by the Earth's gravitation and the shooting star that we see is just the meteoroids actually breaking up upon entering Earth's atmosphere. The glowing taillight of the shooting star is called a vapor trail or streak, this means that the meteoroids is burning up when expose to air.


Did you notice that luminous yellow-green glow? Do you know what it is?


This one of many things an astronomer would do, because their job is to classify and describe the things in space. This might include planets, stars, galaxies, meteors, etc. You do not need a degree in Astronomy to be an astronomer! Having a telescope and looking up in space as you observe the various changes of the planets and stars already makes you an astronomer. So the next time you see a shooting star, don't close your eyes to make a wish, but rather look closely at its vast beauty burning up because they do travel very fast. (About 26 miles per second)