The night sky holds a fascination for most people, especially people who live in relatively dark areas like Sedona and the Verde Valley.

Of particular interest are what people call shooting stars. They are actually meteors — some of which are rock or come from debris left behind in space by a passing comet, said Dennis Young, president of the Sirius Lookers Astronomy Club in Sedona.

“They come from the shedding of a comet when it passes close to the sun,” Young said. “That’s what the tail is made up of.”

Meteors enter the atmosphere 24 hours a day seven days a week, although they’re usually visible only when the sky is dark. The debris floats around in space all the time. Several times a year, the Earth moves through one of the debris fields and a meteor shower results. The meteors streak across the sky as they burn in the atmosphere, looking like shooting stars.

“Stars don’t come that close, and few of the meteors we see ever reach the Earth. They usually burn up first,” Young said.

Each meteor shower is named after a constellation it seems to radiate from, such as the recent Quadrantid meteor shower that peaked Jan. 4. The name comes from an obsolete constellation, Quadrans Muralis. Now the meteor shower’s point of origin is in the constellation Boötes, located in the direction of the tail of the Big Dipper and shaped like a kite. The associated comet is named simply 2003 EH sub 1.

Astronomers add the suffix “-id” or “-nid” to the constellation name to designate the related meteor shower. They always occur on the same dates every year. The only variant is the phase of the moon. Moonlight can wash out all but the brightest of the meteors, Young said.

The meteor that hit Northern Arizona about 50,000 years ago and created Meteor Crater measured approximately 150 feet across — half the length of a football field.

Anyone who missed viewing the Quadrantid meteor shower will have another chance Sunday, April 22, when the earth passes through the Lyrid meteor shower associated with the Thatcher Comet and constellation Lyra.

“There’ll be no moon this year, so it’s our next prime shower for viewing. However, people need to go out on the night of April 21 to be there for the 22nd to see it at its best,” Young said. “Meteor showers always peak during the predawn hours.”

In most cases activity takes place a few nights before and after the peak, but to a lesser degree.

Other major meteor showers include the Boötid meteor shower, also associated with Boötes constellation, but with the Pons-Winnecke Comet coming Wednesday, June 27. The moon will affect viewing of the Eta Aquarid out of Aquarius on Saturday, May 5. Halley’s Comet produced the Eta Aquarid debris.

People can look for the Perseid meteor shower radiating from Perseus and the Swift-Tuttle Comet in the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 12.

The Orionid meteor shower comes from Halley’s Comet and will occur on Friday, Oct. 21. The meteors will come from the constellation Orion. The Leonids happen Saturday, Nov. 17, near the constellation Leo. They are produced by the Tempel-Tuttle Comet.

“The Leonids can produce a meteor storm, which means there are more than normal,” Young said.

Debris from the Phaethon comet produces the Geminid meteor shower. They will fan out from Gemini on Friday, Dec. 14.

“I’ve seen every style of meteor, except one that reaches the ground. I’ve even seen some during the day,” Young said. “Some people think those are UFOs.”

One of the most famous occurred Aug. 10, 1972. A very bright, daytime meteor started in Mexico and traveled northward into Canada through New Mexico, Colorado and Montana. Many people saw it, someone made a video and several took photographs.

“Some people did hear it. These things travel about 50 miles up between 30 and 80 miles per second,” Young said and snapped his fingers. “Another one worth noting went through the states in 1974. It was an asteroid — a rock — about 10 feet across.”

“What was unique about this rock [was] it never hit the earth. It came in at the right angle and bounced off the atmosphere back out into space,” he said.

When meteors are really bright, they’re considered fireballs and can leave a long streak behind them.

“They’re always exciting to see,” said Young, who has captured a few with his camera.

Young formed the Sirius Lookers Astronomy Club in 1994.

The best way to view a meteor shower is with the naked eye, mainly because they usually last only a second or two.

“Best is to view looking up at a 45-degree angle directly at the point of origin — at the radiant,” Young said. “Find a dark location, sit in a reclinable lawn chair or on a sleeping bag, and wear warm clothing in the cooler months.”

Throughout the year the club hosts meetings at the Sedona Public Library, 8250 White Bear Road, the third Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. as well as viewings and other events. The club frequently observes the stars from Forest Road 525 south of Sedona.

“We sometimes go up Jordan Road,” Young said. “We have our own events, but we also let members know of other related events.”

For more information about the Sirius Lookers Astronomy Club, call 821-3520.