meteor

/ˈmidiər/

/ˈmitiə/

Other forms: meteors

A meteor is a space rock that hits Earth's atmosphere. It's also another word for a shooting star — which is not a star at all, but a streak of light visible in the sky when a meteor burns up in the atmosphere.

There are a lot of objects in space, such as stars, planets, and moons. Those celestial objects are quite large, but there are smaller bodies, too, such as meteoroids — small chunks of rock or metal orbiting the Sun. When a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. This word is also used for the streak of light caused when this happens, commonly called a shooting star. Sometimes there are meteor showers, when many meteors can be seen, especially in the night sky, as Earth passes through a trail of space objects that then burn up due to friction with Earth's atmosphere.

Definitions of meteor

1. noun

   (astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere
   types:

   meteorite

   any piece of a solid space object that entered Earth's atmosphere and landed on Earth's surface

   meteor swarm

   a group of meteoroids with similar paths

   aerolite

   a stony meteorite consisting of silicate minerals

   micrometeor, micrometeorite, micrometeoroid

   a meteorite or meteoroid so small that it drifts down to earth without becoming intensely heated in the atmosphere

   pallasite

   a meteorite composed principally of olivine and metallic iron

   siderite

   a meteorite consisting principally of nickel and iron

   type of:

   estraterrestrial body, extraterrestrial object

   a natural object existing outside the earth and outside the earth's atmosphere
2. noun

   (astronomy) any small, solid space object that has entered Earth's atmosphere
3. noun

   a streak of light created when a small piece of rock or metal moving through space enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction with the air
   synonyms: shooting star

   types:

   bolide, fireball

   an especially luminous meteor (sometimes exploding)

   type of:

   light, visible light, visible radiation

   (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation