If the Earth intersects or passes near the path of a comet, we see meteors, as the cometary dust slams into the atmosphere and makes the air glow. We never see the particle itself, just the path through which it has traversed. Since these meteoroids are essentially moving parallel to each other, it s like looking down a long straight section of railroad track. The track seems to intersect at some vanishing point in the distance. Part 1 The dog days of summer are upon us.
Nights are often muggy and hazy, leaving few stars to be easily seen.
However, there are three stars high overhead in the early summer hours which are almost always visible. They are collectively called the Great Summer Triangle. Talking about triangles in the sky may seem like a cop out, because almost any three stars will fit the bill. In fact, on really hazy nights they may be the only three stars visible. Deneb is the 19th brightest star of the heavens, while Altair is the 11th, and Vega ranks as 5th brightest.