What is a shooting star?

Answer 1

It is a moment to make a wish!!

Actually, shooting stars are mostly grit from space colliding at very high speed with air molecules high up in the sky.

As Earth travels in its orbit around the sun it runs into clouds of grit generally pulverized rock that also orbits the sun. Many shooting stars are produced by grit no larger than a grain of sand. Some of the more spectacular ones are pea-sized and the really stunning (but very rare) fireballs are the size of an orange or larger. These objects collide with air molecules some 60 miles (95 kilometers) above Earth's surface and, due to their very high speed, they begin to glow white hot. We see a streak of light as they burn up. The scientific name is meteor but shooting star will do fine (just tell the kids that they are not really stars).
As Earth slowly rotates, the side facing the direction of its orbit around the sun tends to run into more grit. This direction is directly overhead at dawn (at right angles to the sun) and this is why there tends to be at least twice as many shooting stars observable in the few hours before dawn, compared with just after sunset.

Occasionally a lump of rock survives the fiery journey and reaches the ground. These rocks are known as meteorites. They tell us a lot about the composition of the solar system.

If you watch the sky on a dark night for half an hour you should spot several brief streaks of light -- meteors. All you need is a blanket to lie on, a clear view of the sky on a dark, a moonless night and patience.

Answer 2

Comet residue.
Comets orbit differently from planets. As they come close to the sun, some of the matter on the outside gets burned off or flake off of the comet due to warmth of the sun which becomes its tail. The comet's orbit happens intersects Earth's orbital path and some items or residue that is at Earth's orbit hits the atmosphere of the Earth burn up as result we see is a shooting star.

Answer 3

Usually called a "meteor" (a phenomena of the upper atmosphere), it happens when a meteoroid (a piece of rock from space) enters our atmosphere at very high speed (tens of km per second).

The very hight speed causes a shock wave in the air. This is usually what we see (see "ram pressure" in Wikipedia). The friction causes a heating up (and burning up) of the rock.

If a piece survives and end up on earth, it is called a meteorite.

Answer 4

A meteor - a rock or speck of dust that burns up as it hits the earth's atmosphere.

Answer 5

A meteorite or some other object falling through the Earth's atmosphere.

Answer 6

Meteors falling through Space.
Not a comet.

Answer 7

Wonderful answers - the only thing I saw left out was....a meteor (shootingstar) that enters the atmosphere and we see it as it is "burning" then explodes is called a "BOLIDE":

Answer 8

A smallish particle coming into our atmosphere at about 17-30,000 mph.

Answer 9

a meteor or other debris burning up in our atmosphere. it burns up because of the heat caused by friction with the earth's atmosphere due to its speed.

Answer 10

It's what happens when the star decides a knife just isn't lethal enough.