Dennis Bates. age 11. of Victoria' B. C.for his question:

What causes meteors?

The nine planets you know. are not the only members of the sun’s family. They may be the largest but they are the fewest. There are over 30 moons. some almost as big as planets. There are scores of bright haired comets. There are thousands of planetoids ‑ little planets.: And there are trillions of meteors.

Some are grains of dust just drifting about the Solar System. Some are sizeable chunks of stone or metal. Meteors could be bits left over from the larger members of the solar family. They are forever colliding with the larger bodies. When this happens. their wandering days are over. Those shooting stars are falling meteors. They are forever adding their size and weight to the earth.

We are pretty sure that some meteors come from passing comets. Certain comets have failed to return on their regular schedule. Instead. their places have been taken by swarms of meteors. Some comets and meteor swarms share the same orbit. The passing comet. it seems. leaves dust and fragments on its exciting journey around the sun. Most swarms of meteors. showers of shooting stars. are almost certainly comet dust.