A shooting star is actually the track of a meteor, typically a small chunk of debris from a comet that has entered the earth’s atmosphere. As the drag force slows the meteor down, its kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy, leaving a glowing trail across the sky. A typical meteor has a surprisingly small mass, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in speed. Assume that a meteor has a mass of 1.5 g and is moving at an impressive 50 km/s, both typical values. What power is generated if the meteor slows down over a typical 2.1 s? Can you see how this tiny object can make a glowing trail that can be seen hundreds of kilometers away?