Shooting stars are just pea-sized rocks... and other space wonders

2026-08-05 · 12 min · 13 entities

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mentioned Science concept

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evidence rules-v5
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mentioned Life Sciences concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Life Sciences
mentioned Daily News concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Daily News
mentioned Nature concept

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evidence rules-v5
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mentioned Astronomy concept

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discusses News concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: News
discusses Science concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Science
discusses Life Sciences concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Life Sciences
discusses Daily News concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Daily News
discusses Nature concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Nature
discusses Astronomy concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Astronomy

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hosted by NPR company

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Episode description as stored

Ahead of the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, we're re-airing our first episode with host Regina G. Barber . In it, Regina and planetary scientist Melissa Rice explore all things shooting stars. They talk about the different types, where they come from and what they actually are (hint: not stars). Learn more about viewing the Perseids, which will peak Aug. 12: A Perfect Year for the Perseid Meteor Shower Interested in more stellar science in the news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org . Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. It includes perks like bonus episodes, early access, archive access, curated playlists and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy