Astro*Dictionary by Michael Erlewine
2 articles for "Meteor"
Meteor [Astro*Index]A meteor or "shooting star" is the luminous trail, or streak of light, across the night sky caused by a meteoroid, or chunk of rock or metal entering our atmosphere at high speed and burning up.
See also:Meteor Shower [Astro*Index]
♦ Meteoroid ♦ Meteorite
A group of meteors that appears at a relatively fixed time of year and seems to originate from a fixed point in the heavens known as a radiant. These showers occur as the Earth sweeps through a portion of its orbit where great concentrations of dust and debris lie in space.
See also:
♦ Meteoroid ♦ Meteorite ♦ Radiant
Astro*Index Copyright © 1997 Michael Erlewine