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[[da:meteor]] [[de:Meteor]] [[fr:Étoile_filante]]
A '''meteor''', also known as a shooting star, is the bright flash or streak of light that results from an object in interplanetary space hitting Earth's atmosphere. The objects that cause such impacts may range from dust-sized particles to [[asteroid]]-like bodies; collectively they are known as '''meteoroids'''. Much or all of the meteoroid may be burned up during its progress through the earth's atmosphere. Any part of it that survives to hit the ground is called a '''[[meteorite]]'''.
Meteorites are primarily placed in three categories, stony, iron, and stony-iron. These categories are descriptive of the primary composition of the meteorite, whether silicate-based rocks, iron, or a combination of the two.
Larger meteors may strike the ground with considerable force, leaving behind a meteor [[crater]]. The kind of crater will depend on the size, composition, degree of fragmentation, and incoming angle of the meteor. In the case of [[comet]] fragments, which are largely composed of ice, a considerable concussion may occur even though no fragment of the original meteoroid survives; the famed [[Tunguska]] event is thought to result from such an incident.
See also: [[Leonids]], [[Geminids]], [[Earth impacts]], [[fireball]]
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