Meteors and Meteorites

Space has lots of tiny rocks flying around. When one enters Earth's air, it heats up and glows. This bright streak is called a meteor or a shooting star. If a piece makes it to the ground, we call it a meteorite. Most meteors are smaller than a pebble.

Shooting Stars

A shooting star is not really a star. It is a small piece of rock or dust from space. When it hits Earth's air very fast, it burns up and makes a glowing line. On some nights, you can see many meteors in one hour. These are called meteor showers.

A tiny space rock caught inside a special spongy gel used by scientists.
A tiny space rock caught inside a special spongy gel used by scientists. (NASA/ESA / Wikimedia Commons)

Rocks From Space

Meteorites are pieces that reach the ground. Scientists love to study them. They can tell us about other planets and the early solar system. Some meteorites even come from the Moon or Mars.

Fun Facts

  • The biggest meteorite ever found is called Hoba and weighs about 60 tons.
  • Earth is hit by about 100 tons of space dust every day.
  • Some meteor showers happen every year at the same time.

Did You Know?

A huge meteorite hit Earth 66 million years ago and helped kill the dinosaurs!