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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?