Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
meteor and meteoroid
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Cabin Creek meteorite Meteor Crater
The difference between meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids
Perseid meteor shower Leonid meteor shower interplanetary dust particle dust particles from Comet Wild 2 and interplanetary space Meteor Crater Chicxulub crater Manicouagan Crater
For Students
Meteor Crater
meteor summary
Quizzes
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.
Brightest Star in the Solar System
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes
Read Next
Meteor shower. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
What’s the Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite?
Every year in mid-August the Perseid meteor shower has its peak. Meteors, colloquially known as "shooting stars", are caused by pieces of cosmic debris entering Earth's atmosphere at high velocity.
Perseid Meteor Shower
Galaxy clusters like Abell 2744 can act as a natural cosmic lens, magnifying light from more distant, background objects through gravity. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope may be able to detect light from the first stars in the universe if they are gravitationally lensed by such clusters. (astronomy, space exploration, galaxies)
How Fast Is the Universe Expanding?
Discover
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. August 28th 1963
Was Martin Luther King, Jr., a Republican or a Democrat?
Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).
9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
International currencies, money, various banknotes, currency
A Brief (and Fascinating) History of Money
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Why We Celebrate MLK Day
Panoramic view at sunrise of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
6 Lost Civilizations

meteor and meteoroid: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/meteor
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As shooting star • falling star

Photos and Videos

Cabin Creek meteorite
Meteor Crater
Perseid meteor shower
Leonid meteor shower
interplanetary dust particle
dust particles from Comet Wild 2 and interplanetary space
Meteor Crater
Chicxulub crater
Manicouagan Crater
Gaspra
The difference between meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids
Overview of meteorites and their impact on the earth
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Key People

Ernst Öpik
Estonian astronomer
Fred L. Whipple
American astronomer

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.
Brightest Star in the Solar System
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Demystified
Meteor shower. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
What’s the Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite?