Asteroid, Meteor or Comet? The Difference for Kids

An asteroid is a mostly rocky body that orbits the Sun. A comet is an icy body that also orbits the Sun; near the Sun it can develop a fuzzy cloud and a tail. A meteor is the brief streak of light made when a small piece of space material enters an atmosphere. The simplest clue is to ask: are we naming a body in space, or the light we see in the sky?

Three names, three clues

• Asteroid — rock in orbit. Asteroids are often rocky or metallic. Many travel in the broad belt between Mars and Jupiter, while others follow different orbits. They are not all headed toward Earth.
• Comet — ice and dust in orbit. A comet has a frozen centre mixed with dust and rock. As it approaches the Sun, warming can release gas and dust, creating a cloud around it and sometimes a tail. A comet does not have a bright tail at every point in its journey.
• Meteor — a flash in an atmosphere. A smaller object in space is a meteoroid. If it enters Earth’s atmosphere and makes a streak of light, that event is a meteor. It is not a star falling from the sky.

If some material survives the journey through the air and reaches the ground, that piece is called a meteorite. These words describe different stages, not four names for the same thing at the same moment.

Why can a comet and a meteor both have a “tail”?

They may look similar in a drawing, but the setting is different. A comet’s dust and gas can be pushed away from the Sun while the comet is still in space. A meteor’s bright streak happens within an atmosphere and lasts briefly. Small pieces shed by comets or asteroids can become meteoroids; some comet debris later produces meteor showers when Earth crosses its path. Not every meteor comes from a comet.

Try a family sorting game: “Rock orbiting the Sun?” Asteroid. “Icy traveller with a cloud near the Sun?” Comet. “Quick streak in our sky?” Meteor. Then add the question, “What was the small object called before it entered the air?” Meteoroid.

What does Rockimals show?

Rockimals pairs information about real near-Earth space visitors with fictional animal characters and stories. An animal’s adventure is not a scientific account, and the artwork above is an illustration, not a scale diagram or a live sky map. Use a visitor’s fact card to discuss what an asteroid is; do not assume a visitor is a meteor or comet because its picture looks dramatic. Rockimals is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.

Sources

• NASA Space Place: Asteroid or Meteor? — child-friendly distinctions among asteroid, meteoroid, meteor, comet and meteorite; reviewed 16 October 2026.
• NASA Science: Comet Facts — icy nucleus, coma and tails; reviewed 16 October 2026.
• NASA Science: Meteors and Meteorites Facts — origins of meteoroids, meteor showers and meteorites; reviewed 16 October 2026.