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Asteroids
The majority of meteorites that haven been recovered are from asteroids that have broken apart. Asteroids are small bodies within the solar system that orbit the sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. These bodies are too small to form planets and were formed when the solar system first came into existence. Asteroids exert gravitational pull on other asteroids, which results in the constant destruction and reformation of asteroids. When pieces of these asteroids are pulled out of the belt by Jupiter's gravitational pull, some of them travel inward in the solar system and collide with Earth. It is believed that meteorites composed of iron originated from the core of asteroids that have been shattered.
Planets
Planets are regularly struck by asteroids or comets, which results in chunks of the planet being broken off. These chunks of rock break loose of the planet's atmosphere and move toward the center of the solar system as the asteroid pieces do. Some of these enter Earth's atmosphere and achieve landfall.
Moon
Lunar meteorites, or simply moon rocks, are occasionally uncovered on Earth. Scientists know they come from the moon and not an asteroid or planet because they are identical in composition to the moon rocks collected by astronauts during moonwalks. Some of these moon rocks might have originated on the far side of the moon, a side that never faces Earth.
Comets
Although they are not entirely sure, some scientists believe that some meteorites come from comets. Composed mainly of rock and ice, comets are usually found out past Neptune's orbit. Using chemical composition analysis, several meteorites have been tagged as potential fragments from the rocky core of a comet.
Meteors/Meteor Showers
Meteors are tiny pieces of interplanetary dust, including comet dust, that typically vaporize as they enter Earth's atmosphere. They leave a trail of fire behind them, which is the reason many people refer to them as shooting stars. Meteor showers occur mainly when Earth travels through comet remains. Because the comet's remains are in orbit around the sun, as is Earth, these meteor showers occur yearly, resulting in a spectacular show. Most meteors burn up completely and never make it to Earth, although a small fraction do.