ASTEROID-COMET-METEOR-METEORITE-METEOROID

People generally get confused among these terms and don't know the difference between them.

Asteroid, Comet, Meteor, Meteorite and Meteoroid

  • Asteroid It is a rocky object that orbits the Sun. They are smaller than a planet, but they are larger than the pebble-size objects we call meteoroids.
  • Comet They are small icy dirtballs that orbit the Sun; comets are made of ice and dust while asteroids are made of rock).
  • Meteor It is a space rock—or meteoroid—that enters Earth's atmosphere, as it – burns up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, it creates a streak of light in the sky (often called "shooting stars"). When Earth encounters many meteoroids at once, we call it a meteor shower.

  • Meteorite If a meteoroid survives its trip through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite.

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