The flash of light is called a meteor. Meteors usually last just a second or two. Sometimes, there are meteor showers. In a meteor shower, lots of shooting stars seem to fall from one area of the sky. These meteor showers happen when the Earth travels through a stream of dust following a comet.
Some people get comets and meteors mixed up.
A comet is very different from a meteor. A comet is larger and travels slowly across the sky. It takes many days for a comet to leave our sky. A comet looks like a bright ball with a long shiny tail. A comet is a ball of frozen gas, dust, and water.