What we call shooting stars are actually not stars at all. They are small pieces of space debris called meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere at incredible speeds. When these tiny rocks hit our atmosphere, friction causes them to heat up and glow brightly, creating the beautiful streaks of light we see in the night sky.
The meteoroid's journey has three distinct stages. First, in space, it's just a cold rock traveling at twenty to seventy kilometers per second. When it enters our atmosphere, friction heats the rock to sixteen fifty degrees Celsius or three thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, it becomes a meteor, creating the glowing trail visible from Earth's surface.
Most meteoroids are surprisingly small. A grain of sand creates just a brief flash, while a pebble-sized rock makes a bright streak lasting one to two seconds. Golf ball-sized meteoroids create spectacular fireballs. These tiny objects travel at incredible speeds of twenty to seventy kilometers per second, which is forty five thousand to one hundred fifty seven thousand miles per hour. That's fifty times faster than a bullet!
To summarize what we've learned: Shooting stars are actually meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere. Friction creates the glowing trail we see from Earth. Most are tiny objects from sand grains to golf ball size, traveling at incredible speeds up to seventy kilometers per second. This natural phenomenon creates the beautiful night sky displays we all love to watch.
The meteoroid's journey has three distinct stages. First, in space, it's just a cold rock traveling at twenty to seventy kilometers per second. When it enters our atmosphere, friction heats the rock to sixteen fifty degrees Celsius or three thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, it becomes a meteor, creating the glowing trail visible from Earth's surface.
Most meteoroids are surprisingly small. A grain of sand creates just a brief flash, while a pebble-sized rock makes a bright streak lasting one to two seconds. Golf ball-sized meteoroids create spectacular fireballs. These tiny objects travel at incredible speeds of twenty to seventy kilometers per second, which is forty five thousand to one hundred fifty seven thousand miles per hour. That's fifty times faster than a bullet!
To summarize what we've learned: Shooting stars are actually meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere. Friction creates the glowing trail we see from Earth. Most are tiny objects from sand grains to golf ball size, traveling at incredible speeds up to seventy kilometers per second. This natural phenomenon creates the beautiful night sky displays we all love to watch.
Here are some amazing meteor facts. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through comet debris trails. The famous Perseid shower produces over sixty meteors per hour every August. Most meteors burn up completely fifty to eighty kilometers above Earth's surface. Meteorites that actually reach the ground are extremely rare and valuable for scientific study.