What makes this world interesting
“Shooting stars” are not stars. Meteor showers are linked to Earth passing through streams of debris. Moonlight and artificial lighting reduce the number of visible meteors.
The portal / Solar System / Meteoroids, meteors and meteorites
Small bodies
Meteoroids, meteors and meteorites
Three words for three situations
A fragment in space, a luminous streak in the atmosphere, and possibly a fragment on the ground.
- In space
- Meteoroid
- Luminous phenomenon
- Meteor
- On the ground
- Meteorite
Observe or explore it
Use the naked eye and an unobstructed field, allowing time to adapt to the dark. Record the duration, conditions and number of sightings in your logbook.
Connect the discoveries
Sources and reference information
NASA Science — Meteoroids, meteors and meteorites
Rounded educational data, sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Orbital distances are mean reference distances from the Sun, not current distances from Earth. Periods are expressed in Earth time. The planner provides date-specific positions for supported targets.