Astronomy
Meteor Showers: Debris from Comets Entering Earth's Atmosphere
Quick fact
The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most famous, occurs when Earth plows through debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle. Some particles are no larger than a grain of sand, yet they create bright fireballs traveling at over 200,000 km/h.
Why this is interesting
You've probably wished upon a shooting star, but did you know those streaks of light are actually tiny crumbs from a comet? What makes them appear every year at the same time?