In the past, comets have unfortunately been associated with negative events occurring on earth, with impending doom being erroneously predicted on many occasions. 

While this is nothing but the product of superstitious beliefs, comets crossing the earth’s part can bring about the occurrence of new meteor showers! Periodic meteor showers are nearly all attributed to comets crossing the earth’s path (with the notable exception of the Geminid meteor shower). Such approaches leave a number of dust particles orbiting in the comet’s wake.

When earth crosses that point in its orbit which had been traversed by a comet in the past, some of these dust particles will enter the earth’s atmosphere, which we observe from the earth’s surface as shooting stars. 

Indeed, some of the most well-known meteor showers originate from the passage of such comets across the earth’s path. Comet Swift-Tuttle, with an orbital period of 133 years, results in the famous Perseid meteor shower, the peak for which always occurs between August 12 and 13.