Have you ever wondered what a shooting star is? Despite its name, a shooting star is not a star at all. A shooting star is a meteor, which is a small piece of rock or dust from space that burns up as it travels through Earth’s atmosphere. The bright streak of light we see is created as the meteor burns, giving us one of God’s most beautiful displays in the night sky.

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What Is a Shooting Star?

Many people think a shooting star is an actual star falling from the sky, but it isn’t. A shooting star is the common name for a meteor.

When a small piece of rock or dust from space enters Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to burn up. As it burns, it creates a bright flash of light that streaks across the sky. That glowing streak is what we call a shooting star.

Earth’s atmosphere plays an important role in this process. God designed it as a protective layer around our planet. As space rocks pass through it, most burn up long before reaching Earth’s surface.

What Do Comets Have to Do With Shooting Stars?

Many shooting stars begin with comets.

A comet is a natural object in space made of rock, dust, and ice that travels around the sun in a long, oval-shaped orbit. As a comet moves closer to the sun, it releases gas and dust, leaving a dusty trail behind it.

As Earth follows its own orbit around the sun, it sometimes passes through one of these dusty trails. The dust enters Earth’s atmosphere, burns up, and creates many meteors. When lots of meteors appear over a short period of time, it is called a meteor shower.

Scientists have studied the orbits of Earth and comets so carefully that they can predict when many meteor showers will occur each year.

What Is the Difference Between a Meteor and a Meteorite?

Most meteors never reach Earth’s surface.

As they race through the atmosphere, they burn away little by little. This process is called ablation. Usually, only a tiny portion survives the journey. If a piece does make it all the way to the ground, it is called a meteorite.

Most meteorites are very small because nearly all of the original meteor burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. Many that do survive also land in the ocean.

Why Did God Design Earth This Way?

Every shooting star reminds us of God’s wise design.

God created Earth’s atmosphere to protect people, animals, and plants. Without this protective layer, many more space rocks would strike Earth’s surface. Even the moon shows us this difference. Because it lacks a thick atmosphere, its surface is covered with craters left by impacts.

The next time you see a shooting star, remember that you are watching a meteor burn brightly as it passes through the atmosphere God designed to protect our planet. Instead of being afraid, we can enjoy this beautiful display while marveling at God’s wisdom and creativity in creation.

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Learning about shooting stars is made possible by: Award-winning science curriculum by Apologia and Homeschool simply, inexpensively, and enjoyably with the Homeschool Made Simple podcast.

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