<p><strong>Shooting stars from the annual <a id="r6we" title="Geminid meteor shower" href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/06dec_geminids/">Geminid meteor shower</a> zip across the night sky above the Zagros Mountains in Iran early Tuesday.<br></strong></p><p><a id="wnyj" title="The shower peaked earlier this week" href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/101213-geminids-meteor-shower-peak-december-science-space/">The Geminids peaked earlier this week</a> with dozens of meteors falling per hour, delighting sky-watchers around the world lucky enough to enjoy the spectacle via clear skies.</p><p>In the United States, between about 12:30 and 4:30 a.m., as many as three to five meteors per minute were seen, with multiple meteors witnessed simultaneously at times, according to sky-watcher David Harvey, who viewed the show from Kitt Peak, outside Tucson, <a id="x1df" title="Arizona" href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/united-states/arizona-guide/?source=A-to-Z">Arizona</a>.</p><p>"Although I did not make an effort to accurately count the number of meteors I saw, I would estimate that the rate peaked at 120 or better [per hour] from my location," Harvey said.</p><p>Meteors are the result of mostly sand grain-size particles entering Earth's atmosphere at high speed. A quick streak of light—or "shooting star"—results when these particles burn up and superheat the air around them. (<a id="qjav" title="Take a solar system quiz." href="http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/space-quiz/">Take a solar system quiz.</a>)</p><p>A meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through debris clouds, causing tons of this cosmic dust to rain down on Earth.</p><p>—<em>Andrew Fazekas</em></p>