13 spectacular meteor showers that you won't want to miss

Kris Williams

We call them "shooting stars."

That's because they streak across the sky leaving behind thin glowing trails of light.

But meteors aren't really stars at all. They're actually cosmic debris: Tiny specks of dust and ice released from comets that pass too close to the sun.

As Earth passes through this debris, the specks get pulled into our atmosphere, where they rub up against air molecules, then burn up. This creates the streaking that we see in the sky.

Here are the annual meteor showers that you won't want to miss.

The Quadrantids

The Quadrantids are usually active in January. Usually, you can see an an average of about 25 meteors shoot through the sky every hour in dark skies. The radiant point, or the point in the sky that the meteors seem to be shooting from, is the northern tip of the Boötes constellation, near the Big Dipper. This meteor shower is best seen from the northern hemisphere.

Source: EarthSky, American Meteor Society

The Lyrids

The Lyrids are active in April. During the shower's peak, about 10 to 15 meteors can be seen every hour in dark skies. But there can also be rare surges that can boost the rate up to 100 per hour. The radiant point is the star Vega in the constellation Lyra. The Lyrids are best seen from the northern hemisphere.

Source: EarthSky, American Meteor Society

The Eta Aquarids

The Eta Aquarids are active from April to May. Depending on where you are, you could see anywhere from 10 to 60 meteors every hour. The radiant for this shower is the star Eta in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. The Eta Aquarids are best seen from the southern hemisphere.

Source: EarthSky, American Meteor Society