
Have you ever wished on a shooting star for good luck? In ancient times, they were thought to be indications that the gods were watching. The idea of wishing upon one has been around for centuries.

While some interpretations of wishing on a star can indicate any point of celestial light as the appropriate focus for a wish, a shooting star has special significance because of its rarity. The most prevalent superstition is that it is good luck to wish upon a star. With many people of all cultures looking to the heavens for signs, symbols, and answers for eons, it is no surprise that shooting star superstitions exist. Meteors may originate from different directions and sources, including cometary bodies, asteroid belts, or ejecta from impacts with the moon. In the early to mid-1800s, greater astronomical research clarified the origin of meteors as being beyond the earth’s atmosphere. In fact, the word meteor originates from the ancient Greek ta meteōra and medieval Latin meteorum, both of which refer to “high up” and in the sky.

Prior to the 1800s, shooting stars were considered atmospheric phenomena, similar to lightning, rather than originating from the cosmos. Millions of meteors skim the earth’s atmosphere every day, but the vast majority are not visible because they are too small, the sky is too bright, or they are otherwise obscured by clouds, fog, or obstacles. It is a meteor-a chunk of asteroid, cometary debris, or space dust that burns up due to friction with the earth’s atmosphere. Shooting stars are a delight to see streaking through the night sky, and while these fleeting dashes of light only last for a moment or two, they can leave a lasting impression on those who see them.Ī shooting or falling star isn’t a star at all. Have you ever wondered why wishing on a shooting star is believed to be good luck? Learn more about shooting star superstitions and what makes them so special.
