Final answer:
A typical meteor is created by a small particle entering Earth's atmosphere and vaporizing due to friction with the air, producing a flash of light. The size of the meteor determines its brightness and chances of survival. The subject of this question is Physics at a High School level.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Physics and it is at a High School level.
A typical meteor is created by a particle with a mass of less than 1 gram, which is about the size of a pea. When the meteor enters Earth's atmosphere, the friction with the air vaporizes the particle, creating a flash of light known as a meteor. The light that we see comes from the heated, glowing gas surrounding the meteor.
The energy in a pea-sized meteor is as great as that of an artillery shell fired on Earth, but this energy is dispersed high in Earth's atmosphere. When larger meteor particles, like a golf ball or a bowling ball, enter the atmosphere, they can produce brighter trails called fireballs and have a higher chance of surviving their entry.