How is asteroid different from meteoroid?

Meteoroids. Sometimes one asteroid can smash into another. This can cause small pieces of the asteroid to break off. Those pieces are called meteoroids. Meteors. If a meteoroid comes close enough to Earth and enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it vaporizes and turns into a meteor: a beautiful streak of light in the sky. read more

Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and vaporizes, it becomes a meteor, which is often called a shooting star. Meteorite: If a small asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fiery passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and lands on Earth’s surface, it is then called a meteorite. read more

Asteroid vs. Meteoroid Diffen › Science › Astronomy The official definition of a meteoroid from the International Astronomical Union clearly brings out the distinction between meteoroid and asteroid: A meteoroid is a solid object moving in interplanetary space, of a size considerably smaller than an asteroid and considerably larger than an atom. read more