system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5:Why do meteors burn when they enter Earth's atmosphere?
gpt
The answers here mentioning friction are incorrect. While friction plays a small role it's not responsible for the main heating. When a fast moving object enters the atmosphere the air in front of it is compressed rapidly and can't get out of the way quick enough. When gases are compressed they heat up, this massive pressure wave in front of the object is responsible for the vast majority of heating especially at higher points in the atmosphere.