Comets and meteor showers

Abstract

Earth occasionally crosses the debris streams produced by comets and other active bodies in our solar system. These manifest meteor showers that provide an opportunity to explore these bodies without a need to visit them in-situ. Observations of meteor showers provide unique insights into the physical and dynamical properties of their parent bodies, as well as into the compositions and the structure of near-surface dust. In this chapter, we discuss the development and current state of affairs of meteor science, with a focus on its role as a tool to study comets, and review the established parent body -- meteor shower linkages.