When a periodic comet leaves its dusty debris behind in its orbit, the Earth can intercept this debris and

When a periodic comet leaves its dusty debris behind in its orbit, the Earth can intercept this debris and it can result in a meteor shower. This happens because the debris enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up, creating streaks of light in the sky that we see as shooting stars.

Here are the steps:

1. A comet orbits the sun and leaves a trail of dust and small rocks (debris) in its path.
2. When the Earth, in its own orbit around the sun, crosses the path of the comet, it can intercept this debris.
3. The debris is pulled into the Earth's atmosphere due to gravity.
4. As the debris enters the atmosphere, it encounters resistance from the air. This causes it to heat up and burn.
5. The burning debris creates streaks of light in the sky, which we see as a meteor shower.