Meteors are small bits of rock that enter Earth’s atmosphere and sometimes land on the ground. Meteors are also known as “shooting stars”. Meteor showers are caused by comets. Comets are giant balls of rocks and ice that orbit a star. They are made up of 3 main parts: the nucleus, the coma, and the tail. The nucleus of a comet is made up of ice, gas, dust, and rocks. It is found right at the head of a comet. The nucleus of a comet is usually frozen. The nucleus can also be made out of solid forms of gases such as Methane or Carbon dioxide. The coma is mostly made out of gas. It wraps around the nucleus of the comet. It is mostly made out of water vapor, Carbon dioxide, or even dust. The tail of the comet is mostly made out of gases or dust. This is the part that trails behind the rest of the comet. The dust from the tail is what causes a meteor shower! When the comet comes close to Earth, the pieces of the tail fall into Earth’s atmosphere. That is what causes a meteor shower!
