meteor

/ˈmidiər/

/ˈmitiə/

Other forms: meteors

A meteor is a space rock that hits Earth's atmosphere. It's also another word for a shooting star — which is not a star at all, but a streak of light visible in the sky when a meteor burns up in the atmosphere.

There are a lot of large objects in space: stars, planets, and moons. There are smaller bodies, too, such as meteoroids — small chunks of rock or metal orbiting the sun. When a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. This word is also used for the streak of light caused when this happens, commonly called a shooting star. Sometimes there are meteor showers, when Earth passes through a trail of space objects that then burn up due to friction with Earth's atmosphere.

Definitions of meteor

1. noun

   (astronomy) any small, solid space object that has entered Earth's atmosphere
2. noun

   a streak of light created when a small piece of rock or metal moving through space enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction with the air
   synonyms: shooting star

   types:

   bolide, fireball

   an especially luminous meteor (sometimes exploding)

   type of:

   light, visible light, visible radiation

   (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation