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Shooting Star
What is a shooting star?
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A Shooting Star, also known as a meteor or a meteoroid, is a small celestial object that enters the Earth’s atmosphere from outer space and burns up upon its descent. Shooting stars are typically fragments of asteroids or comets that have been pulled in by Earth’s gravity.
As a shooting star enters the Earth’s atmosphere, the friction between the object and the air causes it to heat up and vaporize, creating a bright streak of light across the sky. This streak of light is often accompanied by a trail of glowing gas, known as a meteor train, which can persist for a few seconds or minutes after the meteoroid has disintegrated.
Shooting stars can be observed during meteor showers, which occur when the Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by a comet. The debris, consisting of tiny meteoroids, burns up in the atmosphere, resulting in multiple shooting stars appearing to radiate from a specific point in the sky called the radiant.
While shooting stars are often mistaken for stars, they are actually much closer to Earth and burn up at altitudes of about 80 to 120 kilometers (50 to 75 miles) above the Earth’s surface. Shooting stars are a common and captivating sight, and many people enjoy watching meteor showers to witness these brief and beautiful streaks of light across the night sky.
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