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Here are some pictures of shooting stars. You can turn any of these images into your computer desktop wallpaper. Just click on an image to enlarge it, and then right-click and choose “Set as Desktop Background”.
Meteors and Aurora
This is an image of the Quadrantid meteor shower and the aurora. This image was obtained from the Quadrantid’s Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign (MAC) flying aboard NASA’s DC-8 aircraft on January 4, 2008. This recent meteor shower was able to generate more than 100 meteors per hour.
Leonids Meteor Shower
This image of the Leonids meteor shower was taken on November 17, 1999 from an aircraft during the 1999 Leonids Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign. The Leonids meteor shower radiates from the constellation Leo where it got its name also.
Meteor Outburst
This is an image of the Alpha-Monocerotid meteor shower that happened in 1995. This outburst can be so strong and can generate up to 100 meteors per hour.
Perseid meteor shower
Here’s an image of the Perseid meteor shower which recently occurred on August 13, 2009. This meteor was named after the constellation Perseus where its light is said to radiate from.
Orionid Meteor Shower
Here’s an image of the Orionids meteor shower that happened in October 2009 as seen from the skies of Alabama. The Orionids meteor shower is said to come from the debris of the Halley’s Comet.
We have written many articles about shooting stars for Universe Today. Here’s an article about the meteors hitting the earth, and here’s an article about falling stars.
If you’d like more info about shooting stars, check out NASA’s Solar System Exploration Homepage, and here’s a link to NASA’s Solar System Simulator.
We’ve also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about shooting stars. Listen here, Episode 8: Meteor Showers. Yes, The Sky is Falling.
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