These larger meteors can leave behind a spectacular fireball that is very bright and sometimes leaves behind a trail of light lasting for up to 30 minutes. Some of these larger meteors are able to survive and reach the earth's surface. These larger meteroids are called meteorites once they reach the earth's surface. Sometimes these meteorites leave behind huge craters where they hit the earth. However, some meteors are even smaller than a grain of sand and they are called micrometeorites .
Several micrometeorites reach our planet everyday.
On a clear, very dark night, one can see five to ten meteors per hour. They come from all directions and most of them will be very faint. The best way to see a lot of meteors is to watch on a night when there is a meteor shower. A meteor shower is a time when the sky will be filled with meteors. During meteor showers, most of the meteors appear to come from one spot in the sky.