Point of View: The Rewards and Uncertainty of Meteor-Chasing

Every so often there is a prediction of a meteor storm. Now since a shower of meteors gives you a trickle of activity, a storm will actually provide a decent "drenching." The actual definition of a meteor storm is a display that will likely produce a rate of at least 1,000 meteors per hour at maximum activity. These are the events that really get meteor observers excited. These events are among the rarest of celestial phenomena, much rarer than the total solar eclipses or the appearance of bright comets. Only four meteor storms occurred during the 20th century. Rates in excess of 1,000/hr lasted less than 12 hours in all four events combined. They are fantastic sights to behold, with the entire sky filled with meteors, one after another.