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How are meteor showers named after constellations or stars?
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Meteor and meteoroid
The Cabin Creek meteorite, an iron (nickel-iron alloy) meteorite that was observed to fall in northwestern Arkansas on March 27, 1886. Its characteristic pattern of “thumbprint” dimples, or regmaglypts, is the result of melting and consequent ablation of its surface as it traveled through the atmosphere. The meteorite is likely a fragment of one of the M class asteroids, which show significant nickel-iron in their surface material.
Meteor showers are named based on the location of their radiant—the specific point in the sky from which the meteor tracks appear to originate when traced backward.12
Because meteors in a shower travel in parallel paths, perspective makes them seem to diverge from a single area, much like parallel railroad tracks appear to converge in the distance. A shower is typically named after the constellation or a specific star within that constellation where this radiant point is situated.21