photo of a meteorite
They are also called falling stars or shooting stars.
Most meteors burn up in space before they reach Earth.
Some meteors have fallen to Earth and made large holes.
A meteor crater in Arizona was created by a meteorite
that may have struck Earth about 49,000 years ago.
The Barringer Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona
is 1.2 kilometers across and 200 meters deep.
It was formed when a 50 meter nickel/iron meteorite
struck the desert at a speed of 11 km. per second.
2005