Pieces of rock or metal from space that burn up bright streaks of light as they enter Earth's atmosphere; shooting stars.
From Greek 'meteoron' meaning 'phenomenon in the air,' from 'meta-' (above) and 'aeros' (air). The term literally means 'things in the air,' and originally applied to any atmospheric phenomenon.
Every meteor you see is a space rock traveling 40,000+ mph hitting Earth's atmosphere—the friction creates temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun! That's why they glow so brilliantly in just seconds before vaporizing completely.
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