14// meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites

hey sigmas

What's the difference between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites?

Meteoroids are much smaller than asteroids, and they are rocky or metallic. They are in outer space, coming from the asteroid belt or comets. Meteoroids fall into the Earth's atmosphere constantly. Meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere are called meteors.

Meteors, known as shooting stars, are meteoroids, comets, or asteroids that enter Earth's atmosphere. Meteors are visible in the night sky and look similar to a stars. Depending on size, they usually burn or completely evaporate in the Earth's atmosphere. If a meteor is big enough to fall to the surface, we call it a meteorite. 

Meteorites do usually no harm, but it is possible for a bigger one to do damage to the Earth. Meteorites create craters on planets without an atmosphere like Mars or Mercury and other objects like our Moon. Meteorites are very helpful in the research of the universe.

Conclusion:

Meteoroids are floating objects in outer space, smaller than asteroids. 

Meteors are objects like meteoroids or comets entering the Earth's atmosphere. 

Meteorites are extraterrestrial objects like meteors that make it to the Earth's surface.

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through the tail of a comet or other streams of debris.

The light created by a meteor can have different colors, depending on the composition of the meteor. For example yellow light means the meteor was made of iron, violet is calcium, blue-green is magnesium, etc.

Meteors can be very bright, brighter than usual, and we call those fireballs.

i think that's it, please correct me or add anything if u want!

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗