OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaA shooting star is not really a star at all! It is actually a tiny piece of space rock that burns up when it zooms into Earth’s atmosphere. It glows so brightly that it looks like a star streaking across the sky. That is how it got its fun name!
Space is full of tiny bits of rock and dust. When one of these pieces enters Earth’s atmosphere, it is moving super fast. The air around it gets so hot that the rock starts to glow and burn up. This creates a bright streak of light that we call a shooting star or a meteor. Most of them burn up completely before they reach the ground.
- Most shooting stars are caused by pieces of rock no bigger than a grain of sand.
- You can see the most shooting stars during meteor showers, when Earth passes through trails of space dust.
- If you make a wish when you see a shooting star, it is a fun tradition, but the wishes are just for fun!
