Meteor hunters unite!

Meteor showers are always awe-inspiring, but now amateur data is helping us track, understand and even protect ourselves from these cosmic invaders. Mark McIntyre explains how you can join in

- Mark McIntyre

We all love watching meteor showers like the Perseids in August. These dramatic events are one of the easiest astronomical events to observe because they're regular, you don't need to travel to see them and they require nothing more than your own two eyes - and a comfortable chair!

However, many amateur astronomers are now taking their sky watching up a level by recording meteors during showers and reporting their observations to organisations like the British Astronomical Association (BAA), Global Meteor Network (GMN) and the UK Meteor Network (UKMON). So, why are they doing this?

Collecting meteor data is a great way to get involved in science that has real-world implications. Data from amateurs has helped us protect spacecraft and astronauts, locate meteorites, explore the origins of life on our planet and reveal new information about the early Solar System. It's even keeping Earth safer from hazardous asteroids.

And it’s now easier than ever. Scientists have been studying meteor showers for centuries, but in the last 20 years or so, new technology has made amateur contributions much simpler. At the same time, government research funding has increasingly targeted ‘big science’ — like particle colliders and space missions - while meteor science, being an ‘established science’, is the poor cousin. That's why contributions from amateurs are vital - they're driving the science forward and supplying much of the data that researchers rely on today.

What's more, those amateur contributions come from all over the world, from the Arctic to the Antipodes and from city centres to remote deserts. This allows scientists to have a global picture and to take into account weather and light pollution. We can also monitor events over long distances. For example, in 2024 an 'Earth-grazing' meteor travelled around 900km (560 miles) across the whole of Europe, from Croatia to the UK.

Join the great meteor hunt