A meteor is a small piece of interplanetary debris that enters the Earth's atmosphere and produces a bright streak of light, or a FIREBALL. Leonid is a type of meteor shower that occurs annually in November. A BOLIDE is a very bright meteor that explodes in the atmosphere. A METEORITE is a meteor that survives its passage through the atmosphere and lands on the Earth's surface. The Perseid meteor shower occurs annually in August. A falling star is another name for a meteor.