The astronomical term for a shooting star is "meteoroid." When a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction with the air, it produces a bright streak of light known as a meteor or shooting star. If the meteoroid survives this passage and lands on the Earth's surface, it is then referred to as a meteorite. Meteoroids can vary in size, and when they produce visible light during their atmospheric entry, they create one of the most captivating celestial phenomena observed from our planet.