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Meteors

Meteors, also known as shooting stars, are pieces of dust and debris from space that burn up in Earth's atmosphere, where they can create bright streaks across the night sky. When Earth passes through the dusty trail of a comet or asteroid's orbit, the many streaks of light in the sky are known as a meteor shower. Particularly large chunks of material can create an extra-bright fireball streak, but most meteors are still small enough to entirely burn up in Earth's atmosphere. If a meteor makes it to Earth it's known as a meteorite. Before they hit atmosphere the objects are called meteoroids. 

Related Topics: Asteroids, Aurora Borealis, Comets 

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The Hubble Space Telescope spotted the galaxy NGC 2770 in this close-up view. The galaxy has been home to four different observed supernovae over the years, making it unusual and especially interesting to scientists studying the far-out cosmos. One of the supernovae spotted in the galaxy, SN 2015bh, was first thought to possibly not be a supernova but rather a strange outburst from an old, massive star. However, it was later correctly classified as a supernova created when a star 8-50 times as massive as our sun died.

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff

The Hubble Space Telescope spotted the galaxy NGC 2770 in this close-up view.

The moon will dip into Earth's outer shadow in a minor penumbral lunar eclipse on Nov. 29-30, 2020.

November's Beaver Full Moon 2020: See a lunar eclipse and a near-minimoon

By Jesse Emspak

November's full moon on Nov. 30 will undergo a penumbral lunar eclipse, two days after reaching aphelion, when the moon is farthest from Earth.

On Nov. 18, 2020, a bright green meteor streaked across the night sky near CSIRO’s research vessel Investigator, which is currently stationed in the Tasman Sea, off the southern coast of Tasmania, Australia.

Watch a bright fireball explode over the Tasman Sea (video)

By Samantha Mathewson

A bright green meteor streaked across the southern coast of Tasmania, Australia, and researchers caught the fireball on camera as it broke up over the ocean.

Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes captured this shot of Leonid meteors over a house in New Jersey in 2012. The 2015 Leonids will peak overnight Nov. 17-18.

The Leonid meteor shower of 2020 peaks tonight! Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

One of the most famous annual meteor showers is reaching its peak — the Leonids. These ultrafast meteors are due to crest overnight tonight and into early Tuesday morning (Nov. 16-17).

Leonid Meteor Storm 2001

The most amazing Leonid meteor shower photos

By Space.com Staff

See some of the greatest hits from Leonid meteor showers over the years.

Leonid Meteor Shower of November 2001

Leonid meteor shower 2020: When, where & how to see it

By Hanneke Weitering

In mid-November, the fickle Leonid meteor shower hits Earth once again. The annual shower will peak Nov. 16-17.

Taurid Meteor Over Slovenia

Taurid meteor shower 2020: When, where & how to see it

By Elizabeth Howell

While the Taurid meteor shower doesn't have a lot of shooting stars to offer, the few that will streak across the sky may be bright and spectacular.

A Taurid fireball descends in glowing aurora over Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 9, 2015.

The Taurid meteor shower of 2020 peaks soon. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

If skies are clear during this upcoming week, be sure to take a few moments to gaze upward. You just might be lucky and catch a glimpse of a spectacularly bright meteor — a Taurid meteor.

Optical micrograph of the complete Strawberry Lake meteorite (Hamburg ME 6108) before cutting.

'Fireball' meteorite that crashed in Michigan holds extraterrestrial organic compounds

By Mindy Weisberger

A fireball meteor lit up midwestern skies on Jan. 16, 2018, then landed on a frozen Michigan lake. Analysis of the space rock revealed a rich array of extraterrestrial organic compounds.

An Orionid meteor seen by NASA's All-Sky Fireball Network in 2015.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight! Here's how to see it.

By Doris Elin Urrutia

The Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight into tomorrow morning (Oct. 20-21), and the moon will be dim enough that skygazers might be able to see one or several of these shooting stars.

Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes snapped this amazing photo of an Orionid meteor streaking above a lake in Elverson, Pa., on Oct. 22, 2011, during the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

Orionid meteor shower 2020: When, where & how to see it

By Elizabeth Howell

The Orionid meteor shower is peaks in the early morning of Tuesday, Oct. 22, but a bright moon will disrupt viewing until shortly before dawn.

Orionid meteors streak through the starry sky over Big Bend National Park in Texas, in this composite of four shots taken by astrophotographer Sergio Garcia Rill in October 2017.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks this week! Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

It's an excellent year to view the Orionids, which peak before dawn on Wednesday (Oct. 21).

A Draconid meteor streaks across the starry sky over Tao, New Mexico, in this photo taken by Mike Lewinski on Oct. 5, 2018.

Draconid Meteor Shower 2020: When, where and how to watch the unpredictable 'shooting star' display

By Mike Wall

The annual Draconid meteor shower peaks Wednesday evening (Oct. 7) — but the bright, gibbous moon will wash it out.

A color-coded gravity image of the Ora Banda Impact Crater site. The crater (deep blue) is in the middle of the image.

Gold miners discover 100 million-year-old meteorite crater Down Under

By Laura Geggel

About 100 million years ago, a gigantic meteorite collided with Australia, creating a 3-mile-wide impact crater.

A cross section of a small Aguas Zarcas fragment shows colorful clays that might include complex organic compounds.

Rainbow meteorite discovered in Costa Rica may hold building blocks of life

By Rafi Letzter

A small, soft smacked into Costa Rica on April 23, 2019. And it carried dust older than our sun, as well as clues regarding how life formed on Earth.

An image of a piece of the Antarctic meteorite Asuka 12236 as seen through a microscope; the sample is about 0.3 inches (1 centimeter) across.

Astonishingly old Antarctic space rock could explain mystery of life's weird asymmetry

By Meghan Bartels

Life is asymmetrical, and a time capsule of the earliest days of the solar system may explain why.

A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above a group of campers at the Negev Desert near the city of Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, on Aug. 11, 2020.

Perseid meteor shower 2020 brings celestial fireworks to the night sky (photos)

By Hanneke Weitering

The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most famous annual "shooting star" displays, reached its peak activity this week, putting on a spectacular show for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere.

Catch the Perseid meteor shower in a Slooh webcast on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT).

You can see the 2020 Perseid meteor shower in a free Slooh webcast tonight

By Hanneke Weitering

The annual Perseid meteor shower has just peaked, but it's not too late to spot one of the famed "shooting stars" in the night sky — or in a live webcast.

In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

Perseid meteor shower 2020 weather forecast: Here's what to expect in the US for tonight's peak!

By Joe Rao

The 2020 Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight tonight (Aug. 11 and 12). Here's the U.S. weather forecast.

A meteor can be seen streaking across the sky above Washington, D.C. in this ten-second exposure taken of the annual Perseids meteor shower on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015.

The Perseid meteor shower of 2020 peaks tonight! Here's how to watch live.

By Chelsea Gohd

The Perseids are back! This week, you can catch the annual meteor shower, a favorite of many skywatchers, as it peaks thanks to four livestreams.