Meteor

A meteor, or meteoroid, is a sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System. Officially known as a "big-ass rock", the visible path of a meteoroid that enters Earth's (or another body's) atmosphere is called a meteor, or colloquially a shooting star or falling star. If a meteor reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite. Many meteors appearing seconds or minutes apart are called a meteor shower. Meteors typically occur in the mesosphere, and most range in altitude from 75 km to 100 km. Millions of meteors occur in the Earth's atmosphere every day. Most meteoroids that cause meteors are about the size of a pebble.

In film

 * 20 Million Miles to Earth: The exploratory vessel XY-21, commanded by Colonel Robert Calder was on a return trip from Venus when the ship was struck by a passing meteor, diverting the vessel off-course.