Shooting stars, also known as meteors, are bright streaks of light that occur when small particles from space enter the Earth's atmosphere. These particles, often the size of a grain of sand, burn up due to friction with the air, creating a dazzling display in the night sky. Most shooting stars are remnants of comets or asteroids. When Earth passes through the debris left by these celestial bodies, we can see meteor showers, which are events where many shooting stars appear in a short period. Popular meteor showers include the Perseid and Geminid showers.