What is a shooting star?

A meteor burning up in the atmosphere

What causes most meteor showers?

Earth passing through comet debris

What is a meteor shower's radiant?

The point where meteors seem to come from

A space rock that reaches the ground

What is the best way to watch a meteor shower?

Find a dark place away from lights after midnight

Meteor Showers Trivia Quiz – Names, Facts and Surprises

This meteor showers trivia quiz covers what shooting stars really are, the Perseids, Geminids, Leonids and Quadrantids, radiants, the comets behind each shower and the difference between meteors and meteorites. Ten questions bring names, facts and surprises.

Start Meteor Showers Trivia Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Definition
What is a shooting star?
Source
What causes most meteor showers?
August
Which shower peaks in mid-August?
December
Which December shower comes from an asteroid?
Storms
Which shower produced spectacular meteor storms in 1833 and 1966?
Radiant
What is a meteor shower's radiant?
Halley
Which showers come from Halley's Comet?
Meteorite
What is a meteorite?
Fireball
What is a very bright meteor called?
Viewing
What is the best way to watch a meteor shower?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is a shooting star?
Answer: A meteor burning up in the atmosphere
Most are smaller than a grain of sand.
Q2: What causes most meteor showers?
Answer: Earth passing through comet debris
The debris trails stay in orbit.
Q3: Which shower peaks in mid-August?
Answer: Perseids
It comes from comet Swift-Tuttle.
Q4: Which December shower comes from an asteroid?
Answer: Geminids
Its parent is 3200 Phaethon.
Q5: Which shower produced spectacular meteor storms in 1833 and 1966?
Answer: Leonids
It comes from comet Tempel-Tuttle.
Q6: What is a meteor shower's radiant?
Answer: The point where meteors seem to come from
Showers are named after the radiant's constellation.
Q7: Which showers come from Halley's Comet?
Answer: Eta Aquariids and Orionids
Earth crosses its orbit twice a year.
Q8: What is a meteorite?
Answer: A space rock that reaches the ground
Most come from asteroids.
Q9: What is a very bright meteor called?
Answer: Fireball or bolide
Some explode in the air.
Q10: What is the best way to watch a meteor shower?
Answer: Find a dark place away from lights after midnight
Eyes need time to adjust.

Meteor Showers Trivia Quiz – Shooting Stars

Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through trails of dust left by comets or asteroids. Tiny particles hit the atmosphere at tens of kilometers per second, heating the air and creating brief streaks of light called meteors.

Showers repeat every year at the same time. The Perseids in August and the Geminids in December are among the best, often producing dozens of meteors per hour. Meteors in a shower appear to come from one point, the radiant, which gives each shower its name.

Most meteors burn up completely, but larger rocks sometimes reach the ground as meteorites. Watching a shower needs no equipment, just dark skies, patience and a comfortable place to lie back.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for stargazers exploring meteor showers.

What shooting stars are
What causes showers
When the Perseids peak
What a radiant is
What meteorites are

Did You Know?

The Chelyabinsk meteor exploded over Russia in 2013.
Tons of space dust fall on Earth daily.
Meteors usually glow about 80 to 120 km up.
The Quadrantids peak in early January.
Some meteorites came from Mars.