Any extraterrestrial matter that enters into the Earth's atmosphere is known as a meteor. At times, a meteor looks like a fast-moving streak of light in the night sky. There are other names for meteors such as falling stars, meteoroids, and shooting stars. On the other hand, a meteorite is any stony or metallic object that is the remains of a meteor.
When an object leaves the space and enters into the Earth's atmosphere, it remains a meteorite, but when it hits the ground after leaving the Earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteorite. Some meteors leave the space as burning rocks, and by the time they get to the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up.
In fact, some extraterrestrial matters coming from the space burn up before reaching the Earth's atmosphere. However, it is only a meteor that successfully lands on the Earth's surface that can be called a meteorite. Also, it is right to say that only meteors that are larger in size end up as meteorites.
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