Starplanētu telpā atrodas neliels daudzums putekļu, akmentiņu, ledus gabalu un citu kosmiskās vielas fragmentu, kas riņķo apkārt Saulei. Tos sauc par meteorīdiem. Meteorīdu izmēri mērāmi milimetros, bet vēl retāk ir lielāki ķermeņi, kuru diametrs ir no dažiem centimetriem līdz vairākiem metriem. Tie var lidot kosmosā miljoniem gadu ilgi, līdz to ceļš krustojas ar Zemi. Tad notiek sadursme un meteorīds ar lielu ātrumu ietriecas Zemes atmosfērā.
A meteor, sometimes called a "shooting star," can be the brightest object in the night sky, yet meteoroids are the smallest bodies in the solar system that can be observed by eye. Wandering through space, perhaps as debris left behind by a comet, meteoroids enter the earth's atmosphere, are heated by friction, and for a few seconds streak across the sky as a meteor with a glowing trail.
A brilliant meteor, called a fireball, may weigh many kilograms, but even a meteor weighing less than a gram can produce a beautiful trail. Some of these visitors from space are large enough to survive (at least partially) their trip through the atmosphere and impact the ground as meteorites. Fireballs are sometimes followed by trails of light that persist for up to 30 minutes; some, called bolides, explode with a loud thunderous sound.
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