A meteor shower is characterised by an increase in the number of meteors or "shooting stars" that streak across the night sky.
Comets are responsible for the majority of meteor showers. A comet's orbit around the Sun produces an icy, dusty debris stream.
A meteor shower will occur if Earth passes through this stream.
A meteor shower will occur if Earth passes through this stream.
Each shower's meteors appear to "rain" into the sky from the same location.
Meteor showers are named after the constellation that corresponds to this area of the sky.
The Perseid meteor shower is named after meteors that appear to fall from the constellation Perseus.