My west coast brother informs me that today is "International Asteroid Day" and "National Meteor Day." He questioned why asteroids get an international day while meteors only get nation recognition. I think I've figured out the reason.
A meteor is seen as a streak of light that flashes across the night sky. It's caused by a small piece of space debris called a meteoroid burning up as it enters earth's atmosphere. An asteroid, on the other hand, is a relatively small rocky celestial body that orbits the sun. They are sometimes considered minor planets or planetoids.
I'm pretty sure that they were allocated their different statuses because if a bit of a meteor happened to fall into your back yard, you might get a little press interest, maybe even a mention on the evening national news, whereas, if an asteroid lands in your back yard it will have an international impact of global proportions.
So the next time you're watching a meteor shower be glad it's not an asteroid shower.
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