What appears when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere from outer space?

What appears when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere from outer space?

• A. Meteor
• B. Comet
• C. Asteroid
• D. Dwarf planet

Answer: (A)

When a meteoroid plunges through Earth's atmosphere, air friction heats it up and it glows, creating a bright streak across the sky. That glowing streak is called a meteor, often thought of as a shooting star. If any part of the meteoroid makes it to the ground, that piece is called a meteorite. Other objects—comets are icy bodies with tails, asteroids are rocky bodies mainly in space, and a dwarf planet is a large body orbiting the Sun but not considered a full planet—don’t produce the familiar meteor streak when entering the atmosphere.

When a meteoroid plunges through Earth's atmosphere, air friction heats it up and it glows, creating a bright streak across the sky. That glowing streak is called a meteor, often thought of as a shooting star. If any part of the meteoroid makes it to the ground, that piece is called a meteorite. Other objects—comets are icy bodies with tails, asteroids are rocky bodies mainly in space, and a dwarf planet is a large body orbiting the Sun but not considered a full planet—don’t produce the familiar meteor streak when entering the atmosphere.