Researchers shed insight on the peculiar beginnings of a well-known meteor shower.

One of the most powerful meteor showers in the night sky occurs every winter as the Geminid meteors streak through Earth. New proof that the Geminids were formed in a violent, catastrophic event is now being offered by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe project.

Comets, which are composed of ice and dust, are the primary source of meteor showers. The ice in a comet melts and releases gas as it approaches the Sun, displacing tiny parts of the comet and leaving a trail of dust in its wake. The comet’s orbit is gradually filled with material as a result of this recurring process, which causes a meteor shower as Earth passes through the stream.