Question

Meteor shower debris is believed to come from?

1) the asteroid belt when Mars deflects it toward us annually.
2) the disintegration of a short period comet over many returns to the Sun.
3) deep space, far beyond the solar system, deflected by the gravity of another star.
4) the core of a differentiated type M asteroid, now broken up.
5) the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up.

Answer 1

Meteor shower debris mainly comes from (2) the disintegration of short period comets as they return to the Sun and their ices evaporate.

Step-by-step explanation:

Meteor shower debris is primarily associated with comets, specifically with the disintegration of a short period comet over many returns to the Sun. The ices in these comets evaporate when they get close to the Sun, releasing millions of tons of rock and dust into the inner solar system. The dust particles from these comets retain approximately their parent comet's orbit and gradually spread out over time. When Earth crosses such a dust stream in its orbit around the Sun, we observe a meteor shower.

In contrast, meteorites, which sometimes fall in groups or showers, generally originate from asteroid fragments and are not associated with meteor showers or the comet dust streams. Meteorites can be found on Earth and are classified as irons, stony-irons, or stones. Some contain organic molecules and are considered primitive objects dating back to the origin of the solar system.

The correct answer to the student's question is option 2, the disintegration of a short period comet over many returns to the Sun.