what are and when do meteor showers occur?

Question

I have heard a Meteor shower will happen some time this weekend. What is the name given it and why? When is it to happen? What part of the sky should I look for it?

Answer 1

its going on for days. you should be able to see it at night in the north eastern sky all weekend

The Perseids are so called because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_%28constellation%29

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11jul_greatperseids.htm

Answer 2

Here is some info from Spaceweather.com

Space Weather News for August 9, 2007
http://spaceweather.com

The Perseid meteor shower has begun. Although the display will not
peak until
August 12th and 13th, sky watchers are already counting as many as a
dozen
meteors per hour (including some nice fireballs) during the darkest
hours before
dawn. Rates could increase 5- to 10-fold when the shower reaches
maximum on
Sunday night and Monday morning. Advice: Get away from city lights.
While many
Perseids will be bright enough to see from light-polluted urban
areas, the
shower's full grandeur is reserved for places with dark and starry
skies. This
is a good weekend to go camping.

Visit http://Spaceweather.com for photos, observing tips and a sky
map. Full
coverage of the shower begins today and will continue until Perseid
activity
subsides.

Answer 3

The shower is called the Perseids, because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation of Perseus. They occur every August. Just look at the sky late Sunday night. After midnight, or even better at 4:00AM Monday morning. Try to watch from a dark spot where you can see the whole sky, without trees and buildings blocking your view, because the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.

Answer 4

It is the Perseid meteor shower. It is on the August 12. It is so called because they seem to come from the Perseus contellation. And just peep up, because the sky sky seems to be filled with a shower of sparks.

Answer 5

I think this one is called the Leonid (it is supposed to be September 1st this year though).

It is a result of us traveling through the debris left behind a comet's tail.

Also all meteor showers are a result of the earth travelling through fields of space debris (big rocks). When we move through the area, the atmosphere burns them up - as they fall towards the ground - which is why they look like flying stars.

Hey, I was wrong about the date of the Leonids, but oh well, here is a link to the expected showers this year.

http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/

Answer 6

meateors happen all the time, I havent heard anything about major ones though!