- Meteors are small bits of interplanetary dust and debris that burn up as they collide with Earth's atmosphere during meteor showers. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of debris left behind by comets and asteroids. - The duration of meteor showers depends on the size and trajectory of the debris stream and Earth's orbit, and can last from a few days to several weeks. Comet debris trails can extend millions of miles and produce meteor activity for hundreds of years. - The Perseids meteor shower, which peaks in mid-August, is associated with comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and its debris trail called the Perseus Cloud. The shower's radiant point appears

2. Though spectacular-looking as intense streaks of light shooting across a darkened sky, meteors are really little more than tiny bits of interplanetary dust and debris, or meteoroids , burning up as they collide with the Earth’s atmosphere. With meteor showers, our planet is passing through an entire stream of debris, often times left by passing comets and asteroids as they orbit the sun.