The Solar System the solar system | Page 13

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METEOR AND METEORITES:

Little chunks of rock and debris in space are called meteoroids. They become meteors—or shooting stars—when they fall through a planet's atmosphere; leaving a bright trail as they are heated to incandescence by the friction of the atmosphere. Several times a year, Earth passes through a trail of debris creating meteor showers. Any of these debris that survive the journey and hit the ground are called meteorites.

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