They say: "If you see a shooting star, make a wish for it will come true."
I say: "If you see a shooting star, you're probably on drugs because shooting stars are not stars at all."
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| Wishing upon a shooting star = NOT SO LEGIT
Yes, you read that right. Shooting star or falling star is just the common name for the visible path of a meteoroid as it enters the Earth's atmosphere. And that visible path is called a meteor.
The root word meteor comes from the Greek meteĊros, meaning "high in the air". Many meteors appearing seconds or minutes apart are called a meteor shower.
A meteoroid is a sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System. Around 15,000 tonnes of meteoroids, space dust, and debris of different types enters Earth's atmosphere each year.
If a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite.
A meteorite's size can range from small to extremely large. Most meteorites derive from meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids.
More generally, a meteorite on the surface of any celestial body is a natural object that has come from elsewhere in space. Meteorites have been found on the Moon and Mars.
Still can't accept it? Here's a song that'll help you:
A shooting star is not a star
Is not a star at all A shooting star's a meteor That's heading for a fall A shooting star is not a star Why does it shine so bright? The friction as it falls through air Produces heat and light A shooting star or meteor Whichever name you like The minute it comes down to Earth It's called a meteorite |
