Meteors
- A meteor is a tiny particle from outer space that produces light as it enters the earth's atmosphere.
- The root word meteor comes from the Greek meteōros, meaning "suspended in the air".
- Many meteors appearing seconds or minutes apart, and appearing to originate from the same fixed point in the sky, are called a meteor shower.
- When a meteor produces enough light to cast a shadow on the earth it is called a fireball.
- Meteors, in size, range from a grain of sand to a baseball.
- The largest meteors are sometimes broken bits of astroids.
- There are about 9 annual meteor showers per year.
- Although meteors are not stars, meteor showers are named after the constellations they seem to come from.
- Objects larger than several meters can explode in the air and create damage. If a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite.
- A large meteorite could hit the Earth at any time.