Night of the Falling StarsProduced by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum Detailed Description: After watching 4th of July fireworks, Sara sees a shooting star and wants to stay out to watch for more. Her dad says she will be able to when they visit her grandmother on her birthday in a few weeks. Meteors are described as streaks of light produced when a tiny speck of rock or metal from space falls through Earth's atmosphere. When they arrive at her grandparent's house, Sara reminds her dad of his promise. Sara's grandmother notes the date on the calendar, August 11, and informs Sara that they should see quite a few, because her birthday is at the time of the Tears of St. Lawrence which is also known as the Persied meteor shower. Meteor showers are associated with the passage of Earth through a dust trail left along the path of a comet. Comets are collections of loosely packed frozen gas crystals and dust specks. As the comets move nearer to the sun, the gases evaporate and lift dust specks off the 'dirty snowball' that makes the nucleus of the comet. A wind of particles from the sun makes some of the gas and dust drift away. Sara's grandfather remembers a note in his grandfather's diary about the night when the stars fell like snowflakes. He finds the diary and reads about a spectacular storm of falling stars. Meteor storms occur when the earth moves through a particularly dense stream of cometary dust. In particular, meteor storms are associated with the Leonid meteor stream. Every thirty-three years, the Earth crosses through a dense area in the stream. On many of these occasions a meteor storm is observed. Sara's family goes out and watches the Persied meteor shower. As they watch for shooting stars, Sara's grandfather tells an old Native American legend about dancing children who drift into the sky becoming stars, and the one who looks down and falls when his father calls. As the story ends, Sara falls off to sleep. Dad carries Sara in as her grandparents watch the falling stars. Related Internet Sites: |