Shooting stars resemble stars that move fast across the sky but are not stars. A shooting star is a small fragment of rock or dust entering Earth’s atmosphere from space. It goes so quickly that it warms and glows as it passes through the environment. Astronomers refer to shooting stars as meteors. Meteors can be different colors depending on the metal they contain. Magnesium gives shooting stars a blue-green light, iron can make them appear yellow, sodium adds an orange-yellow light, and ionized calcium adds violet. Meteors may seem red due to atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen. Individual shooting stars are a spectacular view but are frequently part of a bigger cosmic phenomenon known as a meteor shower.
Meteor showers occur when dust particles (meteoroids) from asteroids or comets approach Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds. Meteors cause friction and heat as they travel through the atmosphere. The heat then vaporizes most meteors, causing dazzling streaks of light across the sky called shooting stars.
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Causes of Shooting Star
A shooting star occurs when a meteoroid hits the Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds, causing friction or drag on the atmospheric air molecules. This friction generates heat, which burns off compounds within the meteor and illuminates the surrounding air gases. As the meteor drops through the sky, it leaves behind dazzling streaks of light.
References
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-formation-of-shooting-stars.html#:~:text=A%20shooting%20star%20in%20the%20night%20sky%20is%20caused%20by,to%20200%2C000%20kilometers%20per%20hour).
- https://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/255-What-is-a-shooting-star-
- https://www.space.com/meteor-showers-shooting-stars.html
- https://cityastronomy.com/what-is-a-shooting-star/
