A _______________________ is a meteoroid that has entered the Earth's atmosphere, usually making a fiery trail as it falls. It is sometimes called a _______________________ star or a falling star (but it is not a star). The friction between the fast-moving meteor and the gas in the Earth's atmosphere causes intense _______________________; the meteor glows with heat and then _______________________. Most meteors burn up before hitting the Earth. A fireball is any meteor that is _______________________ than Venus (magnitude -4). A meteor _______________________ is a phenomenon in which many meteors fall through the atmosphere in a relatively short _______________________ and in approximately parallel trajectories. A very intense meteor shower is called a __________________________________.

A _______________________ is a meteor that has fallen to the _______________________ of the Earth. These rare objects have survived a fiery fall through the Earth's _______________________ and have lost most of their mass during the trip. Meteorites are made of _______________________ and/or metals.