How do meteors and meteorites break up?

When a space rock hits the atmosphere, the heat of friction and the compression shock wave heat the rock to incandescence, or "glowing hot". It is this streak of fire in the sky that we call a "meteor", sometimes inaccurately called a "falling star" or "shooting star". Sometimes the heat and pressure cause the rock to break up, or oftentimes, to explode.

If the meteor strikes the Earth, it becomes a "meteorite". If it is big enough and fast enough, it may explode on impact, causing a crater.