Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson

Grade level: K-8 Subject: Science – Earth Science Prepared by: Shannon Buck

Overview & purpose Education standards addressed

Introduce students to some principles of basic astronomy. Introduce students to LA objectives – comp questions & working together.
meteors, comets. Purpose is to familiarise students with basic astronomy terminology Some spelling. Greek derivatives.
and the night sky including identifying the constellation Perseus. Science – orbits, comets, and K-T extinction event
Socials – myth of Perseus & Andromeda, some Medusa

Teacher guide
Objectives Familiarise students with Give brief anatomy of comets and Swift-Tuttle history. Materials needed
(Specify skills/information that will Identify difference between stars and meteors. Familiarise students with Perseus  Paper
be learned.)
myth. Basic knowledge of planetary orbits, additional info (linked) would introduce  Pencil
students to 3 Keplerian laws. Spelling. Vocab. Comprehension.  Flashlight for writing
results of ZHR
Information Field trip to view Perseid meteor shower display, midnight August 11-12. exercise
(Give and/or demonstrate necessary Precedent
information)
 verbal intro and poss. viewing of youtube vids of meteor showers
 photocopies of info pages handed out
Antecedent
 comp questions given
 ZHR recorded
Verification Discussion Other Resources
(Steps to check for student Comprehension Questions Introduction to Astronomy;
understanding)
Spelling/Vocab Morford-Lenardon
Matching exercise “Classical Myth”
Usborne Astronomy &
Activity Viewing of shower activity Space p 40-41
(Describe the independent activity to Divide night sky into sections, divide children (if more than one family), assign a Encycl. Science p173
reinforce this lesson) Wikipedia pg: K-T event,
section to each group, have groups count the ZHR of their section
ZHR, comet Swift Tuttle,
Perseus, elliptical orbit,
twilight, apsis, binary stars
Notes This lesson plan is designed to cover a range of grade levels from about grade 2 to
grade 8. Extra notations are given for students in higher grades to investigate
further. For K-1 students, basic information can be drawn from the lesson and
interest held with activity/colouring pages.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is a BIG show of shooting stars, all
coming from the same point in the night sky. Shooting
stars are actually not stars. Here’s what they are:

Small chunks of space debris – meteoroids – are always

floating around the solar system. They can be anywhere
from the size of a grain of sand, to the size of a boulder.
When a meteoroid falls into our atmosphere, it burns up: it
leaves a trail of gasses and melted particles that catches
the light from the moon and sun, and this visible trail is
KNOWLEDGE TO STUN YOUR FRIENDS:
called a meteor.
The word “meteor” comes from the Greek word
If any bits of the meteoroid make it all the way to earth’s “meteòros”, meaning........’high in the air’ !!
surface, those bits are called meteorites. “Meteorology”, the study of weather, uses the same
root.
Introducing “The Perseids”... A CLOSER LOOK...
Because meteor shower particles are all traveling in parallel
paths, and at the same velocity, they will all appear to an
There is a predictable meteor shower that is observer below to radiate away from a single point in the sky.
visible in the northern hemisphere during July This “radiant point” is caused by the effect of perspective, similar
to railroad tracks converging at a single vanishing point on the
and August each year. This event is called horizon when viewed from the middle of the tracks.
the Perseid Meteor Shower, or “Perseids” for
short. Meteor showers are almost always named after the constellation
from which the meteors appear to originate. This "fixed point"
slowly moves across the sky during the night due to the Earth
To an earthly observer, the meteors all turning on its axis, the same reason the stars appear to slowly
appear to come from the same point in the march across the sky. The radiant also moves slightly from night
night sky – the constellation Perseus. to night against the background stars (radiant drift) due to the
Earth moving in its orbit around the sun.

Of course, Perseus itself is only a line drawn by A CLOSER LOOK...

humans to connect prominent stars into a rough Y Algol, also known as the Demon Star, is the most famous
(but not the brightest – Mirfak!) star in the constellation
shape...one of those stars is so far from earth, its Perseus. In the constellation, Algol marks the position of
light takes 590 years to reach us! the Gorgon’s eye, or forehead.

This distant star is Algol is actually a three-star system (Beta Persei A, B,

and C), together equivalent to 5.8 solar masses (about
Mirfak – 62 times six Suns put together).
the size of our sun. Look up: Binary Stars
SOMEDAY, YOU MIGHT NEED TO KNOW THIS:
The meteors, on the other hand, are only about 75 to “Mirfak” is Arabic for “elbow”.
100 kilometers from earth. (~45 to 63 miles)

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
ORIGINS OF THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER
Q: If space debris is always around, why are there so many meteors concentrated at once,
such as during the Perseid shower?

A: In July and August every year, the earth passes through the same spot in its rotation
around the sun. At that spot, there is a floating cloud of dust and debris – the particles of dust
and the bits of debris are what fall towards our planet and create the Perseid shower.

Doodle a comet here:

Where did all these particles come
from?

Well, they fell off of a comet.

No, really!

Comets are chunks of ice, dust and grit. Their orbits A CLOSER LOOK...
are elliptical, which means oval-shaped. During most “Perihelion” is the point in an elliptical orbit where the
orbiting body is closest to the sun. “Aphelion”
of their orbits, they are far, far away from the sun – (pronounced “app-HE-lee-un”) is the point FARTHEST
sometimes it takes hundreds of years for them to from the sun.
come back to our solar system to make another
pass. “helion” is the Greek word for sun. “peri-” is a Greek word
meaning around, and “apo-” is a Greek word meaning
from, as in “away” (in English we used to say “they are
It’s only when comets approach the sun that they from home today”, meaning “they are not at home”. So
develop tails: a tail happens when the sun’s warmth “perihelion” means “around the sun”, and “aphelion”
heats the comet, and the gas and dust that is melted means “[away] from the sun”.
off streams out behind the comet’s nucleus (or
Look up:
centre), away from the sun. Apsis, or elliptic orbits
Online MIT Physics lecture on Kepler’s Laws:
http://videolectures.net/mit801f99_lewin_lec22/
One comet, Comet Swift-Tuttle (discovered by two different A CLOSER LOOK...
astronomers in 1862), passes near the earth every 133 years. Comet Swift-Tuttle may someday get to
know Earth....intimately.
When it does, the comet sheds those particles of ice and dirt, and
maybe the odd chunk of rock. Those particles have formed a kind Some scientists believe that its orbit, if it
of dirty pathway across earth’s orbit, and when we pass through follows previous patterns of instability (+/-
that dirt trail every summer......ta da!! The meteor shower 17 days) will bring it into collision with
either Earth or our moon on
appears. August 14, 2126. Kaboom! That’ll be
st
celebrating Gwen’s 151 birthday in a big
“Discovered”, yes - but it turns out that way.
Comet Swift-Tuttle was observed by
Look up:
Chinese astronomers in the years 69 BC The K-T Extinction Event
and 166 AD, proving that there really is
How old would YOU be in August 2126?
nothing new under the sun!
(Now, Messrs Swift and Tuttle,
aren't you embarrassed?)

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
VIEWING THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER
The Perseid shower peaks on August 12 of every year. The best way to view it is to find a
place that is far away from any city lights (in astronomy this is called “light pollution” – it
prevents you from viewing celestial objects clearly). Also, you should try to go where you can
see as much of the sky as possible.

In the summer the nights are short, so in order to see the Perseids you have to either
STAY UP LATE or GET UP EARLY! How early?

Well, sunrise is not until 6:06 AM on August 12, 2009. If we were to go out at 5:00 AM, would
that be early enough?

NO!
You see, the sun starts to illuminate the sky
long before we humans can actually see its
light. This means that, once twilight begins in
the very early morning, many of the fainter
meteors will be invisible to stargazers.
To see the most meteors, you have to get to
a dark, open place before 3:00 AM: twilight
begins at 3:46 AM on August 12 this year.
And the best way to view meteors is lying
down, to get as big a view of sky as possible.
So bring a thermos of hot chocolate, a
blanket and a comfy pillow, and be ready to
stay awake!
A CLOSER LOOK
There’s more to twilight than meets the eye. There are three
kinds of twilight, and they are defined exactly:
1. Astronomical twilight – sun is 12-18° below the horizon.
Faint celestial objects (dim stars, faint meteors) not
visible though the sky appears fully dark.
2. Nautical twilight – sun is 6-12° below the horizon.
General outlines of ground objects may be
distinguishable, but detailed outdoor activities are not
possible and the horizon is indistinct. Nautical twilight is
used in military operations – look it up!
3. Civil twilight – sun is less than 6° below the horizon.
Brightest stars appear. There is enough light for outdoor
activities to carry on without artificial light. Horizon is
clearly visible.
Look up:
Twilight
BMNT and EENT

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
How spectacular IS your meteor shower?
There is an official way to measure just how amazing any meteor shower is. You decide on a
section of sky, usually right up at the top (like “that bit over there, between Perseus’ foot and
those big trees”) and glue your eyes to it for an hour. You count all the shooting stars you can
see in that section of sky in one hour, and that is called:

THE ZENITHAL HOURLY RATE

Impressive, isn’t it? “Zenith” just means “top” and that means you should be doing your
counting when the meteor shower is directly overhead – and the Perseids are always directly
overhead on, or about, August 12 of every year.

We will divide into two or three groups, each take a chunk of sky, and each try to find the
Zenithal Hourly Rate. Good luck – and keep your eye on the sky!

Zenithal Hourly Rate (Group One) Zenithal Hourly Rate (Group Zenithal Hourly Rate (Group Three)
Two)

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
Perseus – slayer of the Gorgon
King Acrisius, of Argos, had a daughter named Danaë.
The Oracle at Delphi warned Acrisius that he would one
day be killed by his daughter’s son, so Acrisius decided to
thwart fate by locking Danaë up in a bronze chamber
under his palace.

Acrisius reckoned without Zeus. He came to Danaë in a

shower of gold, and she conceived a son – Perseus.

Acrisius, unwilling to kill them outright, set Danaë and

Perseus adrift in a boat. They were taken in by a
fisherman, who raised Perseus along with his own son.
The fisherman was jealous of Perseus, though, and
wanted to get rid of him so he could marry Danaë.
Perseus had promised him a gift, and he demanded the fear me,
head of Medusa, one of the Gorgons, who had snakes for puny
hair and who was so powerful that just looking at her mortalssss!
would turn you into stone.

Perseus wandered helplessly until some of the

gods took pity on him and helped him out. Athena
gave him a brightly polished bronze shield, Hermes
gave him a sword, and Hades gave him a helmet of
invisibility. Armed with these, plus a pair of winged
sandals given by nymphs, he set out to find
Medusa.

Perseus went to the three Graeae, sisters of the

Gorgons, and tricked them into giving him Medusa’s
Perseus, pursuing Medusa. You can see his winged sandals, his curved location. He found her sleeping and, looking into
sword, and his helmet of invisibility, but not the shield.
the mirror of Athena’s shield, beheaded her with his
curved sword. Since he never looked at her with his
own eyes, he was not turned to stone.
On his way back home, Perseus stopped in to the
Phoenician kingdom of Ethiopia (present day Joppa, not
the one in East Africa). Ethiopia’s queen, Cassiopeia, had
been boasting of her own beauty and comparing herself
to the Nereids – the sea nymphs who always
accompanied Poseidon. In vengeance for her bragging,
Poseidon sent a monster to beset Ethiopia – a monster
who could only be pacified by the sacrifice of Cassiopeia’s
daughter Andromeda.

Hapless Andromeda was chained to a rock on the shore,

so the monster could come snack on her. But Perseus,
using his flying sandals, killed the monster with his sword
and claimed Andromeda’s hand in marriage.

Everything went great for Perseus after that. He did kill his grandfather, unfortunately, but it was an accident.
R . I . P A C R I S I U S
He and Andromeda had seven sons, and the great hero Herakles (Hercules) was descended from them, as were
the entire race of the Persians. Go Perseus!

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
Perseus – slayer of the Gorgon continued....
Myth-y Matchup! Wonky Words – unscramble these keywords from
the Perseus myth.
Danaë Old witches, related to Medusa

Acrisius Can transform into showers of gold SOARG

SAMEDU
Zeus Gave Perseus winged sandals
NËADA
Medusa Perseus’ grandfather
SUZE
Graeae Sea nymphs, friends of Poseidon RESPUES
Athena Gave Perseus a polished shield GROONG
Hermes Hair of snakes, turns you into stone CRAIIUSS
HENHAT
Hades Gave Perseus a curved sword
DELISH
Nymphs Chained to a rock as a sacrifice
MERESH
Cassiopeia Boastful queen of Ethiopia METHEL
Nereids Gave Perseus a helmet NALSADS

Andromeda Perseus’ mother PHYNSM

PEACSIIOAS
Did you notice...
EARGAE
SHEARKEL
...that there are more constellations mentioned in
SHADE

this story? Perseus is one – but what about SIRENED

INDOOPSE
Andromeda? What about Cassiopeia? Both of those IPOATHIE
DEARMOAND
women have constellations named after them – in SPEARINS
NEAKSS
fact, their constellations lie beside Perseus in the

night sky.

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
Time to Get Creative!

Here’s your chance – an artist’s rendition of some aspect of the Perseus myth;
be it sweet or scary, bland or bloody!

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
VOCABULARY AND SPELLING WORDS
Level One Level Two Level Three

Meteor Medusa Cassiopeia

Comet Meteoroid Andromeda

Perseus Meteorite Constellation

Twilight Algol Perihelion

Mirfak Zenithal Aphelion

Elliptical Poseidon

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

A shooting star is really a ____________________________

A meteor is the visible trail of bits of space __________________igniting in our atmosphere.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs during the months of ___________ and _____________.

The Perseid meteors appear to originate from the constellation __________________.

In reality, the meteors are bits of dirt and ice shed from a _______________________.

The constellation Perseus is named after the Greek hero who killed ___________________.

The best time to observe a meteor shower is at night, before astronomical _______________.

To watch a meteor shower, make sure you are far from any __________ ________________

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 Perseid Meteor Shower Lesson
Perseus Star Map

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