When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Comets that rarely swing past the sun could ram into our planet, but we could spot them using ...

Meteorites, on the other hand, are pieces of rock and metal that fall to Earth after entering the atmosphere and burning up. Comets and meteorites are not similar in composition or origin. Asteroids, ...

When the dust from the comet hits Earth's atmosphere at 65,000 mph, it burns up and creates a meteor shower, according to NASA. This 2014 image provided by NASA shows a Taurid fireball recorded at ...

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through dusty debris trails left by comets and other space objects as they orbit the sun. The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with ...