As a meteoroid enters the Earths atmosphere it starts burning up and becomes a meteor. If a meteor is big enough it will produce a bright streak across the night sky as it burns. These streaks are what we know as shooting stars. During a meteor shower any number of meteors can be seen per hour, the exact amount of meteors that will be visible depends on the meteor shower. The Perseids normally offer an impressive display: at its peak about 50 meteors can be seen blazing across the sky per hour. These meteors darting across the sky in such a dazzling fashion show us just how dynamic and exciting the night sky can be.
