National Meteor Watch Day is a holiday that falls on June 30th and encourages everyone to turn their sights upwards to catch a glimpse of falling stars. Every day, the Earth is hit by about 17 meteors that are large enough to reach the surface of the planet.

When you factor in all those meteors that burn up in the atmosphere, you’ll realize that the Earth is constantly being bombarded. And with those bombardments come some of the greatest fireworks of all time, so be sure to turn your eyes skyward—at least on this day—to catch some of the fun.

The History Of National Meteor Watch Day

Maybe it’s because we’re spending too much time watching the skies, but we’re currently unable to locate the history of this holiday. All that we do know is that it’s a fairly recent holiday that has been around for a few years now.

Amazing Facts About Meteors

No holiday article would be complete without us listing some of the facts that we’ve found out about the subject of the holiday being celebrated. So here we are again, listing some of the amazing facts that we think people should know about.

• The International Space Station, or ISS, has shielding that can protect it from meteors up to an inch wide.
• A meteor that reaches the ground is called a meteorite.
• Most meteorites are made from one of three different materials: iron, stone, or stony-iron.
• The largest single meteorite found on the planet is the Hoba Meteorite.
• The Hoba Meteorite measures 9x9x3 feet.
• Meteors are caused by the friction of air particles as the meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
• The size and composition of the meteor’s tail depend on the composition of the meteor as well as its size.
• The meteor’s tail always points in the opposite direction from the sun.
• A meteor’s tail can last as little as only a few seconds or as long as 30 minutes.
• If a meteor is greater than 10 meters in diameter, then it’s automatically classified as an asteroid.
• An average meteor shower will produce about 20 meteors per hour on average.
• A fireball meteor is an exceptionally bright meteor.
• Approximately 25 million particles hit the Earth each year. They range in size from micrometeoroids to asteroids.
• Some meteorites are worth more than a million U.S. dollars.
• In the U.S., in most places, you can keep a meteorite if it’s found on your property.
• In some countries, citizens can’t keep or sell meteorites because they are considered property of the government.

Observing National Meteor Watch Day

National Meteor Watch Day is a holiday that’s easy to observe—you don’t even need any special equipment. All you need is to point your eyes upward and watch for falling meteors. Since debris is constantly hitting the Earth’s atmosphere from space, you have a pretty good chance of seeing some shooting stars.

After you finish watching the night skies, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalMeteorWatchDay and let everyone see a picture of what you’ve discovered. Congratulations! You’re now enjoying the celestial holiday.