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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In this conceptual image of meteoroids delivering nucleobases to ancient Earth, the nucleobases are represented by structural diagrams with hydrogen atoms as white spheres, carbon as black, nitrogen as blue and oxygen as red.

Meteorites could have brought all 5 genetic 'letters' of DNA to early Earth

By Charles Q. Choi published

New meteorite research suggests that cosmic impacts might have helped deliver vital ingredients of life to ancient Earth.

A fireball observed by the CA000P Global Meteor Network camera in Ontario on April 17, 2022.

Fireball! Scientists advise meteorites may be scattered across southern Ontario

By Stefanie Waldek published

On Sunday (April 17), skywatching cameras in Ontario recorded a massive fireball that likely produced tens to hundreds of grams of meteorites.

A photo of a lunar crater, measuring about 600 feet (185 meters) across, captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

How many space rocks hit the moon every year?

By JoAnna Wendel published

Here's how many tiny and large space rocks hit the moon on a regular basis.

A fireball that flared over Earth in 2014 was actually a rock from another star system.

An interstellar object exploded over Earth in 2014, declassified government data reveal

By Brandon Specktor published

A fireball that blazed through the skies over Papua New Guinea in 2014 was actually a fast-moving object from another star system

The fireball created by the dead Russian satellite Kosmos-2551 re-entering Earth’s atmosphere on Oct. 20, 2021, captured by Brian Stalsonburg from Comstock Park, Michigan.

Loud meteor explosion shakes Indiana with surprise boom

By Josh Dinner last updated

On Wednesday, March 30, residents in Bloomington, Indiana, and surrounding counties were literally shaken to attention by the sound of an exploding meteor.

A secondary impact crater discovered in southeast Wyoming.

This long-lost asteroid impact was so big its debris left more than 30 craters

By Elizabeth Howell published

The resulting debris created several dozen craters, the largest nearly 230 feet across.

Some stars travel at high speeds through the universe and sometimes leave spectacular clouds of dust and gas in their wake.

Real shooting stars exist, but they aren't the streaks you see in a clear night sky

By Idan Ginsburg published

Some stars travel at high speeds through the universe and sometimes leave spectacular clouds of dust and gas in their wake.

Collecting a meteorite on the Nansen blue ice area, close to the Belgian Antarctic research station Princess Elisabeth.

Meteorite hunters rejoice: Antarctica probably harbors 300,000 undiscovered space rocks

By Charles Q. Choi published

And scientists now have a better idea of where to find them.

Observations from GOES-16 shows a flash that was later determined came from an exploding meteor on Jan. 1, 2022.

Exploding meteor 'booms' over Pennsylvania on New Year's Day

By Chelsea Gohd published

A meteor hurtling through Earth's atmosphere exploded over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on New Year's Day (Jan. 1).

Sian Proctor Inspiration4 meteorite

SpaceX's all-civilian Inspiration4 astronaut crew flew a meteorite back to space (briefly)

By Elizabeth Howell published

Astronaut Sian Proctor says it's the first time humans deliberately let a space rock revisit its home.

The Leonid meteor shower peaks overnight on Nov. 16-17, 2021, with the best views arriving before dawn on Nov. 17.

The Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight! But don't expect to see much.

By Joe Rao published

The Leonids are likely to be a major disappointment in 2021, partly because of the expected lack of any significant activity, but mainly because of the full moon.

A photo of a chondrite meteorite (not the same one that fell in a bed in Canada)

Canadian meteorite's roof crash leads to research on space rock orbits and building strikes

By Elizabeth Howell published

Scientists are on the hunt for the origin story of a meteorite that smashed through the roof into a bedroom in Canada on Oct. 3.

A bright fireball from the Taurid meteor shower lights up the night sky over Grasonville, Maryland in this photo captured by skywatcher Alex M., who reported it to the American Meteor Society.

Brilliant fireball lights up night sky after SpaceX Crew-3 astronaut launch

By Tereza Pultarova published

A brilliant fireball lit up the night sky just after a SpaceX rocket launched the Crew-3 NASA mission late Wednesday (Nov. 10).

A brilliant fireball from the Taurid meteor shower lights up the night sky over a NASA Marshall Space Flight Center camera in Tullahoma, Tennessee on Oct. 28, 2014.

The Taurid meteor shower of 2021 is peaking now. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao last updated

The annual Taurid meteor shower made of bits of the comet Encke is peaking Friday, Nov. 5.

The fireball created by the dead Russian satellite Kosmos-2551 re-entering Earth’s atmosphere on Oct. 20, 2021, captured by Brian Stalsonburg from Comstock Park, Michigan.

Failed Russian spy satellite falls to Earth in brilliant fireball (video)

By Mike Wall last updated

A failed Russian spy satellite crashed back to Earth early this morning (Oct. 20), burning up in a brilliant fireball spotted by many observers in the American Midwest.

This rare lunar meteorite (which is not the meteorite that recently fell in British Columbia) is on display at the UCLA Meteorite Gallery. Only a small fraction of the meteorites that strike Earth each year are ever recovered.

Meteorite crash-lands in woman's bed in Canada

By Mindy Weisberger last updated

A meteorite that landed in British Columbia crashed through a roof and narrowly missed hitting a woman who was asleep in her bed at the time.

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

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

By Samantha Mathewson last updated

The annual Draconid meteor shower peaks tonight (Oct. 8), just after dusk, and the moon will be dim enough for skywatchers to catch a good view.

A "shooting star" lights up the night sky during the 2021 Perseid meteor shower.

New 'Arids' meteor shower spotted from the Southern Hemisphere

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

A new meteor shower began outbursting last week and astronomers expect its main peak to happen in the next few days.

A surveillance camera captured this view of a fireball over Hartsel, Colorado (about 100 miles, or 160 kilometers southwest of Denver), at 4:31 a.m. local time on Oct. 3, 2021.

Bright fireball lights up the pre-dawn sky over Colorado (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

At least dozens of people reported seeing a brilliant fireball over Colorado early Sunday (Oct. 3).

Since there aren't any images of the Greenland fireball, here's an illustration of a space rock burning up as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

32,000 mph fireball spotted soaring over North Carolina

By Ben Turner published

The fireball’s bright streak was captured by a neighborhood porch camera.