Here's a breakdown of the terminology:
* Asteroid: A rocky body orbiting the Sun, typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
* Meteoroid: A small piece of debris from an asteroid, comet, or other celestial object that travels through space.
* Meteor: The streak of light created when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction.
* Meteorite: A meteoroid that survives its fiery descent through the atmosphere and lands on Earth.
So, while the asteroid itself doesn't create the streak of light, it's the small piece of it (the meteoroid) that becomes a meteor when it enters the atmosphere.
