Meteor

A meteor is small rocky object that comes from space and falls through the sky (a "fireball"). In space, it is called a meteoroid (see also Asteroid). If a meteor enters Earth's atmosphere, it is often referred to as a "shooting star" or "falling star". If a meteor hits the ground, it becomes known as a meteorite.

A major source of meteors lies between Mars and Jupiter, an enormous cluster of meteors also known as the asteroid belt (or Kuiper Belt). Other (minor) meteor belts and clouds exist, when the Earth passes through them periodic meteor showers occur, such as the Perseiids, Geminids, and Taurids.

Earth's orbit is far inside the belt between between Mars and Jupiter; another lies just outside of our solar system. Meteoroids from those belts break free and may collide with Earth.

There are currently several hundred known asteroids, called Apollo asteroids, that are in Earth-crossing orbits.

Culture and History

The ancient Greeks believed that the stones were Zeus's thunderbolts. A famous quote by Thomas Jefferson:

"I would sooner believe that two Yankee professors lied, than that stones fell from the sky."[1]