ABOUT METEORS

Meteors are small pieces of rock or metal that travel through space. When they enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up because of the air friction and create bright streaks of light in the sky. These are often called “shooting stars,” although they are not really stars. If a meteor Survivor’a its journey through the atmosphere and lands on the ground, it is called a meteorite. Meteors can be seen during meteor showers, which happen when the Earth passes through the trail of a comet.

The Number of Meteors in Our Galaxy

The exact number of meteoroids in the Milky Way is unknown, but scientists estimate there are trillions of small rocks and dust particles traveling through space. These objects are remnants from the formation of planets, comets, and asteroids.Every day, over 100 billion tiny meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere. Most of them burn up before reaching the ground, creating the bright streaks of light known as meteors or “shooting stars.” Only a small fraction, roughly 6,000 to 17,000, survive the journey and land on Earth as meteorites each year.Throughout the galaxy, countless meteoroids continue to drift silently in space. While we can observe only a tiny portion near our planet, the Milky Way contains an immense number of these cosmic fragments, moving endlessly across the vastness of space.

Differences Between Meteors and Asteroids

Asteroids are large rocky objects that orbit the Sun, mostly found between Mars and Jupiter. Meteors are small rocks (meteoroids) that enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, creating a bright light called a “shooting star.” If they reach the ground, they are called meteorites.

What Happens When Meteors Enter Earth’s Atmosphere

When a meteor enters Earth’s atmosphere, it moves extremely fast — often thousands of kilometers per hour. The air in the atmosphere creates strong friction, causing the meteor to heat up and glow brightly. This glowing light is what we call a shooting star. Most meteors burn up completely before reaching the ground, but a few larger ones survive and land on Earth as meteorites.

Can We Stop Meteors from Hitting Earth?

Scientists are studying ways to stop or change the path of meteors that could hit Earth. Large space agencies, like NASA, are testing special missions to push asteroids or meteors away from our planet. One example is NASA’s DART mission, which successfully changed the path of an asteroid in space. So yes, in the future, it may be possible to deflect dangerous meteors before they reach Earth.