Meteor

A meteor is the visible streak of light produced when a small particle from space (called a meteoroid) enters Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burns up due to friction with the air. This phenomenon is commonly known as a “shooting star.”

The Meteor Process

1. Meteoroid: A small rocky or metallic body in space (typically smaller than 1 meter)
2. Entry: The object enters Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of 10-70 km/s
3. Heating: Friction with air molecules causes the object to heat up and vaporize
4. Light: The hot, glowing gases create the visible meteor trail
5. Burn-up: Most meteors completely vaporize; larger ones may leave fragments

Types of Meteors

• Sporadic Meteors: Random meteors not associated with any particular source
• Meteor Showers: Increased meteor activity from streams of particles left by comets
• Fireballs: Exceptionally bright meteors, often leaving trails visible for minutes
• Bolides: Extremely bright fireballs that may explode or leave meteorites

Famous Meteor Showers

• Perseids (August): From Comet Swift-Tuttle, produces 50-100 meteors/hour
• Leonids (November): From Comet Tempel-Tuttle, can produce meteor storms
• Geminids (December): From asteroid 3200 Phaethon, very reliable shower
• Quadrantids (January): One of the strongest but shortest showers

Scientific Importance

Meteors provide information about:

• The composition of small bodies in the solar system
• Atmospheric entry physics
• Potential impact hazards (though most meteors are harmless)

The study of meteors helps scientists understand the distribution and composition of interplanetary dust and small bodies.