Star Attraction
Photo: G
Have you ever heard the saying “Wish
Upon A Star?” Perhaps you wanted to
make that wish and looked up in the
sky to see one? If you do, then there’s
a chance that you might well see a
shooting star. These dazzling objects
appear star-like because they are
intensely bright but are actually minute
particles of dust that have broken off
from asteroids or comets entering the
Earth’s atmosphere at incredible speed.
They’re properly called “meteors.”
4
SPARK
reg Cho
w
As they enter the Earth’s atmosphere,
the meteors collide with air particles
and create friction, which heats them
up. The heat is enough to completely
destroy most meteors after a second
or two, resulting in the streaks of light
we call shooting stars.
Although they may look close together,
the meteors during a meteor shower
are actually 40-60 miles above the
Earth’s surface.