Meteor WOOf! 1979 (PG)

American and Soviet scientists attempt to save the Earth from a fast-approaching barrage of meteors from space in this disaster dud. Destruction ravages parts of Hong Kong and the Big Apple. 107m/C VHS, DVD . Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, Trevor Howard, Henry Fonda, Joseph Campanella, Richard Dysart; D: Ronald Neame; W: Stanley Mann; C: Paul Lohmann; M: Laurence Rosenthal.

meteor Transient, incandescent trail of a meteoroid entering the Earth's atmosphere. All the material burns up before reaching the ground. It is popularly referred to as a ‘shooting star’. A very bright meteor is called a fireball. Compare METEORITES.

meteor † atmospheric phenomenon XV; fireball, shooting star XVI. — modL. meteōrum or Gr. metėōron, sb. use of n. of metéōros raised up, lofty, f. metā META- + *eōr-, var. of base of aeírein raise.
Hence, or partly — medL. meteōricus, meteoric † elevated, lofty XVII; † pert. to the atmosphere XVIII; pert. to meteors XIX. meteorite XIX. meteorology XVII. — F. or modL. — Gr. meteōrologíā. meteorological XVI.

meteor (shooting star) Brief streak of light in the night sky caused by a meteoroid entering the Earth's upper atmosphere at high speed from space. A typical meteor lasts from a few tenths of a second to a few seconds, depending on the meteoroid's impact speed, which can vary from c.11–70km/s (7–45mi/s). At certain times of the year there are meteor showers, when meteors are more numerous than usual.

me·te·or / ˈmētēər; -ēˌôr/ • n. a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light.