Shooting star - Definition and Overview

For other uses, see Meteor (disambiguation).

A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid that enters the Earth's (or another body's) atmosphere, commonly called a shooting star. The visibility is due to the heat produced by the atmospheric entry. A very bright meteor, brighter than the apparent magnitude of Venus, may be called a fireball or bolide.

The Great Meteor Crater in Arizona, USA

If a meteoroid survives its transit of the atmosphere to come to rest on the surface, the resulting object is called a meteorite. A meteor striking the Earth or other object may produce an impact crater.

A tektite

Molten terrestrial material 'splashed' from such a crater can cool and solidify into an object known as a tektite

See also

Crater, Meteor shower, meteoroid, meteorite, tektite