You are likely seeing many “shooting stars” because a strong meteor shower is active right now, and you happen to be looking under good conditions. Shooting stars are tiny bits of space rock burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, and they are most common when Earth passes through dense streams of debris left by comets or asteroids.
Current timing
In mid‑December 2025, the Geminid meteor shower is peaking, which is one of the most active and reliable showers of the year, often producing well over 100 meteors per hour in dark skies. This shower is active for several nights, so even casual stargazing can suddenly reveal many more meteors than usual.
Why they seem so frequent
During a major shower like the Geminids, the sky can show a meteor every few minutes, especially away from city lights and under clear, moonless conditions. This is a big contrast with typical “sporadic” meteors, which might appear only every 10–20 minutes, so the difference is very noticeable.
