meteor shower

American  

Also meteoric shower

noun

Astronomy.

1. the profusion of meteors observed when the earth passes through a meteor swarm.

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meteor shower British  

noun

1. a transient rain of meteors, such as the Perseids, occurring at regular intervals and coming from a particular region in the sky. It is caused by the earth passing through a large number of meteoroids (a meteor swarm )

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meteor shower Scientific  

1. A brief period of heightened meteor activity, often occurring regularly in a particular part of the sky at a particular time of year. Meteor showers are generally named after the constellation in which they appear to originate; thus the Perseids appear to originate in the constellation Perseus and the Leonids in the constellation Leo. The showers occur when the Earth passes through a region having a greater than usual concentration of interplanetary debris, such as particles left by a disintegrating comet, at certain points in its orbit. Although the meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere on parallel trajectories, perspective makes it appear as if they originate from the same point in the sky, known as the radiant.

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Etymology

Origin of meteor shower

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Each fall, the Taurid meteor shower brightens the night sky from late October through early November.

From Science Daily • Oct. 31, 2025

While small particles like those in the Taurid meteor shower enter the atmosphere all the time, larger bodies capable of producing events like the 2013 Chelyabinsk explosion or the 1908 Tunguska blast are much rarer.

From Science Daily • Oct. 31, 2025

Next week, another is coming: the Orionid meteor shower.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 18, 2025

In 2025, the meteor shower coincides with the full Harvest Moon which rose on the night of the 7 October.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

“We’re hanging out here because there’s supposed to be a meteor shower tonight,” she says, lying to Anthony.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle