Understanding Comets
Every fleeting streak of light you witness during a meteor shower is a whisper from a distant, ancient past. Most showers are born from the dusty breath of comets navigating our solar system.
Dirty Snowballs
Comets are often described as dirty snowballs—amalgamations of ice, rock, and organic dust left over from the formation of our solar system. As they loop close to the Sun, the solar heat vaporizes their icy outer layers, creating a glowing coma and a vast tail of debris trailing behind them.
Earth's Fiery Intersection
When Earth's orbit carries us through one of these ancient debris streams, the tiny particles—often no larger than a grain of sand—slam into our atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles per hour. The intense friction incinerates them, creating the brilliant streaks we call shooting stars.