Nov
29
2008
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What exactly is a shooting star?
Posted by: professorsigma in Math, Science & Engineering, tags: astronomy, falling star, shooting starA shooting star is not a star at all. It is the visible trail of a meteroid entering Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed. Friction with the atmosphere causes such intense heat that a visible trail appears.
In most cases, the meteroid is small and it burns up completely before reaching the ground. If it does happen to reach the ground, it is called a meteorite instead.
In any case, it is not a star.