Meteor and meteoroidmeteoroid: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 11, 2026

News •

Don't miss: Meteor showers, fireballs, and a supermoon light up November's night sky • Nov. 6, 2026, 3:21 AM ET (Science Daily)

Facts

Also Known As	falling star • shooting star

Photos and Videos

Cabin Creek meteorite

Perseid meteor shower

Illustration of the 1870 Leonid meteor shower with bright meteor trails in a starry night sky above clouds, and a hot air balloon floating at right.

interplanetary dust particle

dust particles from Comet Wild 2 and interplanetary space

Chicxulub crater

Manicouagan Crater

The Difference Between Meteors, Meteorites, and Meteoroids

Overview of meteorites and their impact on the earth

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

sporadic meteor meteor stream fireball bolide Meteor shower What’s the Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite?radiant Geminid meteor shower Cyrillid meteor shower Andromedid meteor shower Comet Sun Kuiper belt Asteroid Planet Micrometeoroid Oort cloud Interplanetary medium Centaur object Dwarf planet

Key People

default image

Fred L. Whipple

American astronomer

default image

Ernst Öpik

Estonian astronomer

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

27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes

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