Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) meteor, appearance of a small particle flying through space that interacts with the earth's upper atmosphere. While still outside the atmosphere, the particle is known as a meteoroid. Countless meteor...

(Encyclopedia) meteor shower, increase in the number of meteors observed in a particular part of the sky. The trails of the meteors of a meteor shower all appear to be traceable back to a single point in the sky, kn...

(Encyclopedia) meteoroid: see meteor.

(Encyclopedia) falling star: see meteor.

(Encyclopedia) shooting star, in astronomy: see meteor. ...

(Encyclopedia) fireball, very bright meteor leaving a trail in the sky that can remain visible for several minutes; often a distinct sound, perhaps caused by very low frequency radio waves, is associated with it. A ...

(Encyclopedia) astrobleme ăsˈtrōblēmˌ [key], large, circular structure ranging from c.1⁄2 mi to 40 mi (.8–64 km) in diameter. Astroblemes are found at numerous places on the earth's surface, e.g., Meteor, o...

(Encyclopedia) Lyrids: see meteor shower.

(Encyclopedia) Draconids: see meteor shower.

(Encyclopedia) Aquarids: see meteor shower.