Did You Know? Shooting Stars Are Not Stars!
A shooting star is really a tiny bit of space rock or dust burning up in the atmosphere.
Shooting Stars Are Not Stars! ✨
When you see a bright streak zip across the night sky, it looks like a star is falling. But a shooting star is not a star at all!
It usually starts as a tiny piece of space rock or dust called a meteoroid. When it enters Earth’s atmosphere super fast, it heats up and makes a glowing trail. That bright streak is called a meteor - the thing many people lovingly call a shooting star.
Most meteors burn up before reaching the ground. If a piece survives and lands on Earth, it gets a new name: meteorite.
Night Sky Art 🎨
Draw a dark sky full of stars, then add one bright meteor streaking across it like a glowing crayon line.
Fun challenge: Make three labels on your drawing: meteoroid in space, meteor in the sky, and meteorite on the ground.
