What is the primary cause of meteor showers?

Meteor showers primarily occur due to the Earth passing through trails of debris left behind by comets. When a comet approaches the Sun, it heats up and releases gas and dust as it dries out, creating a cloud of particles in its orbit. These particles are the remnants of broken-up comets. When the Earth travels through these trails of debris, the tiny particles enter the Earth's atmosphere at high speeds and burn up, creating the bright streaks of light that we observe as meteor showers.

In contrast, while broken-up asteroids can also produce meteor events, they are less common than those caused by comets. Man-made satellites re-entering the atmosphere do not produce meteor showers, as they are not natural celestial objects but rather artificial. Pockets of hydrogen and helium gas do not have the same physical properties to create visible meteors; these elements are not the source of the bright streaks seen during meteor showers. Thus, the primary cause of meteor showers remains the debris from comets.