What is a Meteor?

A meteor is the flash of light that we see in the night sky when a small chunk of interplanetary debris burns up as it passes through our atmosphere. The debris is known as a meteoroid, and the remnants of it that reach the Earth's surface are called meteorites.

Interesting Facts:

• Meteoroids are typically fragments of comets and asteroids.
• The speed at which meteoroids hit the Earth's atmosphere can range from 11 km/sec to 72 km/sec.
• When meteoroids collide with the Earth's atmosphere at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or "shooting stars" are called meteors.
• When a meteoroid survives its passage through the atmosphere and impacts the Earth, it is called a meteorite.

Size Classifications:

Small: Less than 1 kilogram
Medium: Between 1 kilogram and 10 kilograms
Large: 10 kilograms and more

Interesting Weight Comparisons:

Picture one of these objects hurtling through the sky on fire!

1 kg: Your laptop
10 kg: Bag of dog food
50 kg: 60" flat-screen TV
100 kg: Standard refrigerator
500 kg: Concert grand piano
1,000 kg: 2016 Chevy Spark
5,000 kg: Elephant
20,000 kg: Fire truck (take a look at that iron meteorite in Sikhote-Alin - it's a monster of a meteor!)