comet

The 2.24 miles-diameter comet also eventually orbits the Sun, although this takes 33 years.

When the Leonids fly across the sky, stargazers know that the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is nearby.

A recent theory as to why Encke has such a large debris stream is that it was once part of a larger comet that broke up about 20,000 years ago.

It has the shortest orbital period of any known comet within our solar system, taking just 3.3 years to orbit the Sun.

These showers, known for their slow-moving, long-lasting meteors, are linked to Comet Encke.