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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
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
Meteor shower. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
What’s the Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite?
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)
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Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)
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meteor and meteoroid: Facts & Related Content

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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
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
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
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
Demystified
Meteor shower. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
What’s the Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite?