Some years some meteor showers, such as the Leonids, feature many more meteors than at other times. What is the cause of these "meteor storms"?
A) the dust freed from some comets is clumpy and not evenly distributed along its orbit
B) how many meteors we see in a given year depends one which side of the Sun we are on
C) we get meteor storms at the same time and for the same reason we have more hurricanes on Earth
D) meteor storms happen when Halley's Comet is near the Earth in its 76-year orbit
E) no one has any idea about why meteor storms happen; they are a mystery
Section 14.2: Meteorites: Stones from Heaven

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Meteor storms occur when the Earth passes through a region of space with a particularly dense concentration of debris left behind by a comet. This debris is not evenly distributed along the comet's orbit, leading to clumps or "streams" of dust and debris that intersect with the Earth's atmosphere and produce a higher-than-average number of meteors. The Leonid meteor shower, for example, is caused by debris from the comet Tempel-Tuttle, and can produce meteor storms when the Earth passes through particularly dense patches of this debris.

Some Years Some Meteor Showers, Such as the Leonids, Feature