Here's the breakdown:

* Meteoroid: A small rocky or metallic body in space.

* Meteor: The bright streak of light produced when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction. This is often called a "shooting star."

* Meteorite: A meteoroid that survives its fiery descent through the atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface.

So, when you see a streak of light across the sky, you're witnessing a meteoroid burning up in the atmosphere, becoming a meteor. Only a very small percentage of meteoroids become meteorites.