What is the difference between a meteor and a meteorite?

Meteor is seen as a bright streak of light coming down the night sky. A meteor is usually a small object that occasionally enters the Earth’s atmosphere with very high speed. The friction due to the atmosphere heats it up and it glows and evaporates quickly. As a result, the bright streak lasts for a very short time. These are commonly known as shooting stars. Meteorites are the large meteors which can reach the Earth before they evaporate completely. Meteorites help scientists in investigating the nature of the material from which the solar system was formed.

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