What is a meteor?

A meteor is the bright streak of light we see when a small piece of space rock or dust enters Earths atmosphere and burns up from friction, which is why meteors are popularly called shooting stars. The object itself, while still in space, is called a meteoroid; if any part of it survives the fiery plunge and lands on the ground, that piece is called a meteorite. Most meteors are caused by fragments no bigger than a grain of sand, yet they can glow brightly because they strike the atmosphere at tens of kilometres per second. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through the debris trail left behind by a comet.