Earth’s Moon - 3

he meteor fireball on the left, caused by a Geminid meteor, is one of the largest ever recorded. Most meteor showers result from debris that “boils” off a comet when it passes close to the Sun. When Earth passes through the debris, these specks may enter our atmosphere and we see a meteor shower! Though most particles which cause our brilliant meteors are about the size of a grain of sand, the Geminids are different. Their source of meteors is not a comet, but a strange, rocky object thought to be either an asteroid or an extinct or dormant comet.Meteors that are larger than a grain of sand (often chunks from asteroids) can sometimes reach the Earth’s surface, as did the rock on the left image below. This one landed in the Sudan desert. Meteors that make it to the ground are called meteorites; large ones can leave impact craters