shooting star
Brief night fireball
A shooting star is a meteor—a streak of light across the night sky caused by a small particle burning up as it enters Earth's atmosphere.
The term captures the appearance: a bright point that seems to fall or shoot across the darkness.
Tradition holds that seeing one grants a wish: Make a wish on a shooting star.
The phrase also describes someone who rises to sudden fame, often with the implication of brief duration.
Luminous meteor or explosion
- bolideDetonating meteor, very bright
- meteoroidSmall body in space
- meteoriteSpace debris reaching Earth
- streakUnbroken series
trail · ablation · meteor shower · Perseids · Geminids · radiant · airburst · cosmic dust
Brief burst of light
- blazeIntense burning fire
- streakUnbroken series
- glowSteady, soft light
- radianceGlowing luminous quality
brilliance · dazzling · luminous · flare · illumination · trail · arc · descent
Desiring something hoped-for
- hopeDesire for good outcomes
- desireIntense wanting
- dreamSleeping mind's narrative
- longingIntense, persistent desire
yearning · folklore · tradition · luck · make a wish · superstition · childhood · belief
Passing very quickly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- briefShort in duration
- passingMoving by or temporary
evanescent · short-lived · vanishing · fading · impermanence · instantaneous · split-second · transitory
Darkness above after sunset
- darknessTotal absence of light
- twilightLight after sunset
- duskDimming after sundown
- moonlessLacking lunar presence
starlit · blanket · lawn chair · rural · horizon · zenith · lying back · patience
Sign of future calamity
- harbingerOne who foreshadows
- signMark conveying information
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- auguryOmen interpretation practice
divination · foreboding · presage · premonition · foreshadowing · oracle · auspice · superstition
fireball
Luminous meteor or explosion
- bolideDetonating meteor, very bright
- meteoroidSmall body in space
- meteoriteSpace debris reaching Earth
streak · trail · ablation · meteor shower · Perseids · Geminids · radiant · airburst · cosmic dust · space debris
flash
Brief burst of light
radiance · brilliance · dazzling · luminous · flare · illumination · trail · arc · descent · lightshow
wishing
Desiring something hoped-for
longing · yearning · folklore · tradition · luck · make a wish · superstition · childhood · belief · magic
fleeting
Passing very quickly
passing · evanescent · short-lived · vanishing · fading · impermanence · instantaneous · split-second · transitory · fugacious
night sky
Darkness above after sunset
moonless · starlit · blanket · lawn chair · rural · horizon · zenith · lying back · patience · late night
portent
Sign of future calamity
augury · divination · foreboding · presage · premonition · foreshadowing · oracle · auspice · superstition · fate
- Nightmoon, stars, moonlight, starlight, midnight
- night skystars, moon, constellations, constellation, meteor
- space stuffUFO, alien, meteor, comet, asteroid
- stargazingtelescope, stargazing guides, night sky, stars, constellation
- celestial eventssolar eclipse, lunar eclipse, meteor shower, eclipse, supernova
- fleeting fameflash in the pan, one-hit wonder, fifteen minutes, 15 minutes, overnight sensation
shooting starfixed star
Star showing no planetary motion
pole star · Polaris · North Star · constellation · evening star
shot, shoot, shooting, shoots, shooter, shooters, falling star, shooting range, photoshoot