Small asteroids are called meteoroids.

If they enter Earth’s atmosphere, they are called meteors, or

shooting stars—and if a meteor hits the ground, it becomes a meteorite. (Here’s what to know about
meteor showers.) Today, most asteroids in our solar system orbit the sun in a region located between
Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt. Many astronomers believe the belt is filled with primordial
material that never glommed into a planet because of Jupiter's gravitational pull. Others theorize that
the belt might be “a cosmic refugee camp” for the remnants of planets that formed elsewhere in the
solar system.

What are comets? Comets are balls of ice and rock whose glowing tails can sometimes be seen from
Earth as they streak through the night sky. Comets grow those tails whenever their orbits bring them
close to the sun, causing the icy objects to heat up and expel a trail of gas and dust. The sun illuminates
the tail, giving it a majestic glow. Compared to asteroids, comets tend to have more elliptical, or oval-
shaped, orbits. They also contain more chemical compounds that vaporize when heated, such as water.
And when observed through a telescope, comets appear fuzzier than asteroids. (11 spectacular night sky
events to see in 2023.)

While there are perhaps trillions of comets ringing the outer fringes of the solar system, bright comets
appear in Earth's visible night sky only about once per decade. These are divided into two types: short-
period comets and long-period comets.