Leon-Augustin L'hermitte paintings
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Astronomers form their predictions by mapping Earth's orbit with that of dust trails left behind by the comet Tempel-Tuttle. As the comet, which is made up of dirt and ice, passes near the sun every 33 years, it heats up and releases a dust trail. The last time comet Tempel-Tuttle shed a dust trail was in 1998.Tracking Dust Trails in SpaceWhen Earth passes close to the comet's orbit, it smacks into the comet's old dust trails. The collisions cause shooting stars as the clumps strike Earth's upper atmosphere and vaporize, creating streaks of light in the sky.The most spectacular Leonid meteor storm in recent times was in 1966 when as many as 2,500 meteors streaked across the skies above Earth every minute.Astronomers' various predictions reflect their different mappings of the comet's
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