What is the difference between a falling star, meteor and meteorite?
Each of these objects begins as a meteoroid which can be thought of as a piece of rock or space debris in orbit around our sun. If the object enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it will heat up due to friction and become visible as a meteor. Meteors are often called falling stars or shooting stars. If this piece of debris is able to reach the surface of the Earth, it is then known as a meteorite. Will there be any meteors visible from my house tonight? Sure! Sporadic meteors appear year round throughout the night, and produce a handful of meteors each hour. They are meteors that arrive from random locations in the sky, and are not from recognized meteor showers. On the other hand, meteor showers occur at various times throughout the year and often produce dozens of meteors per hour. The showers are normally named for the constellation they appear to come from. A calendar of meteor showers visible each year is located on the NAMN home page. A more detailed version is posted each year on the
