Shooting Star

Usually “make a wish”, not a hidden message. It leans on the old folk custom of wishing on a falling star the moment you spot one. Under a birthday greeting it means I hope it happens; under good news it means that felt lucky. Say the wish in words, because the meteor alone leaves everything open.

After a piece of advice it can be a joke. “The More You Know” is a long-running series of short public-service messages from the US broadcaster NBC, especially familiar from the 1990s, whose classic logo is a star trailing a rainbow. Capping a tip with 🌠 borrows that knowingly cheesy television sign-off. Anyone who never saw the campaign will likely just see a pretty star.

Is a shooting star actually a star?

No, it is a meteor: a streak from burning space debris. Stars are distant suns. The streak comes from a meteoroid, a bit of rock or dust, often tiny, hitting the atmosphere so fast that it glows for a moment. Most burn up completely; the rare piece that reaches the ground is called a meteorite.

Some nights bring many. The Perseids, debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, peak every August and are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere; under a dark sky near the peak, a streak every few minutes is common. So 🌠 also turns up in stargazing plans and camping photos with no wish attached.