The ghostly vortex drifted slowly to the south for the next few minutes, eventually dissolving into a glowing blob of light before it disappeared behind the trees along the southeastern horizon. The discussion about what the pinwheel was went on for several days after the event. It turned out to be the result of a Japanese rocket that was dumping fuel as it prepared to shoot into a higher orbit. It was the most memorable Perseid meteor shower in my memory, even if the meteors were a disappointment. The Perseid meteor shower is the most reliable of the many meteor showers that occur during the year.
Meteors are brief streaks of light that shoot across the sky.
They often last for only a second or so. They are happen when a piece of space debris burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. Any clear,moonless night is a good time to go meteor observing. From dark, rural skies, you will see several meteors an hour. Take along a lawn chair and a blanket and look in the direction least affected by the glow of city lights.