Direct comparison
Meteoroid vs meteor vs meteorite
The same object earns three names depending on where it is: a meteoroid in space, a meteor as it burns through the air, and a meteorite once it lands.
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Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Meteoroid / meteorite | Meteor |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Before entry (meteoroid) and after landing (meteorite). | During its fiery passage through the atmosphere. |
| What it is | A solid rocky or metallic body in space, or on the ground. | The streak of light, not the object itself. |
| Where it is | In space (meteoroid) or on Earth’s surface (meteorite). | High in the atmosphere. |
| Common name | Space rock (meteoroid); space rock that landed (meteorite). | “Shooting star” or “falling star”. |
| Visible to us | Meteoroids are usually too small to see; meteorites are studied on the ground. | Seen as a brief, bright streak. |
| Size | From dust grains to small asteroids. | The glow can far outshine the tiny object causing it. |
| Caused by | Debris from comets and asteroids. | Friction and compression heating the meteoroid. |
| Outcome | Survives in space, or survives the fall as a meteorite. | Most burn up completely and never land. |
| Very bright version | A large surviving fall can be recovered and analysed. | An especially bright meteor is called a fireball or bolide. |
One object, three names, in order
The trio is best remembered as a journey. Out in space, the small body is a meteoroid — debris shed by comets or chipped from asteroids. The moment it plunges into Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, friction and compression heat it until it glows, and that glowing streak is the meteor, the “shooting star” you wish on. Most meteoroids vaporise entirely. But if a fragment is large enough to survive the searing descent and thump down onto the surface, that landed piece is a meteorite, which scientists prize because it carries material from the early Solar System.
Common questions
FAQ
Is a shooting star actually a star?+
No. A “shooting star” is a meteor — the brief streak of light made when a small space rock burns up in the atmosphere. Real stars are enormous, distant suns that do not move across the sky in seconds. The name is a poetic misnomer for a tiny grain of debris glowing as it disintegrates high above us.
What is the difference between a meteor and a meteorite?+
A meteor is the flash of light produced as a meteoroid burns through the atmosphere; it is the event, not the object. A meteorite is the solid piece that survives that journey and lands on the ground. Put simply, a meteor is what you see in the sky, while a meteorite is what you could pick up afterwards.
What is a fireball or a bolide?+
A fireball is an unusually bright meteor, often brighter than the planets, caused by a larger or faster meteoroid burning up. A bolide is a fireball that explodes or fragments with a flash. Both are simply spectacular meteors; if any fragments reach the ground, those pieces are meteorites.
Going deeper
