The Perseid Meteor shower - how far away are they...

Question

Ok, so im really looking forward to the Perseid Meteors this year, but I was wondering...

As they shoot across the sky, how far away from earth are they actually passing?

Are they actualy passing through Earths atmosphere as they dissapear or are they miles away!

Thanks in advanced =)

Answer 1

They're burn up in the ionosphere some 50 or 60 miles above the ground. You don't actually see the meteoroids themselves, you see the wake of superheated air and vaporized material they create as friction with the upper atmosphere destroys them. The ones coming in directly above you pass about 50 miles above your head, with the ones lower in the sky at much greater distances.