What term describes a small body of matter from space that creates a streak of light when entering Earth's atmosphere?

The term that describes a small body of matter from space that creates a streak of light when entering Earth's atmosphere is a meteor. When these small objects, often remnants of comets or asteroids, enter the atmosphere at high speeds, they heat up due to friction with the atmospheric gases, causing them to glow and produce a visible streak of light, commonly referred to as a "shooting star." This process occurs as they burn up before reaching the surface of the Earth.

In contrast to meteors, asteroids are larger rocky bodies that orbit the Sun and do not produce a streak of light upon entry into the atmosphere. Comets are icy bodies that release gas and dust, often visible as a glowing coma and tail when they approach the Sun, but they are not defined by the light streak created by atmospheric entry. Satellites are human-made objects placed in orbit around the Earth and do not pertain to the phenomenon of light streaks caused by entering atmospheric conditions.