What phenomenon occurs when meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere and create bright streaks of light?

When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, they experience intense friction with the air, which causes them to heat up and emit light. This creates the bright streaks of light commonly referred to as "meteors." A meteor shower specifically occurs when a large number of meteoroids enter the atmosphere simultaneously, often stemming from debris left by comets. This results in numerous meteors being visible in a short period, creating a spectacular display in the night sky.

The other choices do not relate to this phenomenon. A planetary transit involves a planet moving in front of a star from our perspective, which does not produce streaks of light. A satellite passing refers to artificial satellites orbiting Earth, which also does not involve meteoroids or light emissions from atmospheric entry. Lastly, a light year is a unit of distance used in astronomy to measure how far light travels in one year, not directly related to meteoroids or their interaction with Earth's atmosphere.