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Shooting Stars

First off, shooting stars are awesome, and they are awesome to look at, however have you ever really wondered what shooting stars are, how they are formed and why they ‘shoot’ through the night sky!



Are shooting stars really stars though, that is the question.? The answer is no, shooting stars are not stars at all, shooting stars are more meteoroids or meteorites. Shooting stars are small rocks and dust that shoot through space towards the Earth.

The phenomenon while hurdling towards Earth, burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, giving off a bright streaking light in the night sky, that looks like a star that is shooting at speed through the sky. Hence the name ‘Shooting Star’

So what is the difference between shooting stars and meteor showers I hear you say? Good question. So here goes.

Meteor showers are many shooting stars all grouped together that form a meteor shower. These meteor are spectacular and happen on Earth when the Earth enters an area in space with all of this magic dust and rock. 

So a shooting star is 1. And a meteor shower is more than 1 shooting star or many.


Kids Fun Facts Corner

# 1. Shooting stars are not actual stars.

# 2. Shooting stars are meteors.

# 3. Shooting stars are extremely fast, reaching speeds of over 120,000 miles per hour.


Q&A Corner

Q. What are shooting stars?

Q. Are shooting stars actual stars?

Q. What is the difference between a shooting star and a meteor shower?

Q. What speed in miles per hr can shooting stars reach? 

Download questions about shooting stars here: shooting stars (answers are on this page)

For further reading and more info on shooting stars visit stars

Key Vocabulary Shooting. Star. Earth. Meteoroids. Meteorites.