Astronomy
The Creation of Meteor Showers from Cometary Debris Streams
Quick fact
Meteor showers are actually Earth colliding with debris left behind by a comet: as a comet orbits the Sun, it sheds bits of ice and rock, and when Earth passes through that stream of particles, they burn up in our atmosphere, creating glowing streaks.
Why this is interesting
Every year, the night sky puts on a show of shooting stars, but have you ever wondered why these meteors seem to come from the same point? The secret lies in the dusty trail of a passing comet.