What is a Meteor?

A meteor is a streak of light seen in the sky when a meteoroid burns up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. This phenomenon is also commonly called a “shooting star” or “falling star.” Meteors are pieces of comet or asteroid material.

• Meteors are composed of meteoroids, which are small particles from asteroids or comets.
• These meteoroids can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a boulder.
• They enter the Earth’s atmosphere at very high speeds, ranging from 11 km/s to 72 km/s.
• The rapid entry into the Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds generates intense heat due to friction.
• This heat causes the surrounding air to glow, which is visible as the light of the meteor.
• Meteors become visible at an altitude of about 75 to 100 kilometers above the Earth.
• Most meteors burn up completely in the atmosphere before reaching the ground.

Meteors and meteorites both provide valuable scientific information. A meteor is a flash of light in the sky. It happens when a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere. As it falls, it heats up and burns, creating the light we see. A meteorite is what remains if the meteoroid doesn’t burn up completely. It hits the Earth’s surface. Meteorites are actual pieces of rock from space that we can find on Earth. In this article, we are going to learn the key differences between Meteor And Meteorite.