Asteroids are make of rock and ice. During the transit of an asteroid near the sun some of ice is melt forming this gas tail tipical of comets. Sometimes, one of this asteroids orbit across Earth orbit. When this occurs the asteroid across Earth atmosphere burning it. The result of this process is a meteorite and some people who like meteorites spend long periods of time loking for them on the soil.
I hope you enjoy reading this as me did it.
Thank you,
Laura