Here's a breakdown:

* Meteoroid: A small piece of rock or dust in space.

* Meteor: When a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere, it burns up due to friction with the air, creating the bright streak of light we see.

* Meteorite: If a meteoroid is large enough to survive the fiery journey through the atmosphere and reach the Earth's surface, it becomes a meteorite.

So, the flash of light you see is the meteoroid burning up in the atmosphere, not the actual rock itself.