A"shooting star" is usually a grain of sand from outer space that burns up and gives off light as it enters the atmosphere. what exactly causes this burning?

It is the friction or drag force on the solid. the object goes so fast that the friction is producing alot of heat. this heat causes it ignite (anything can be burnt if it is heated to high enough tempurature)

friction and drag force causes this burning

1) when you rub your hands together quickly, the kinetic energy is converted to mechanical energy.2) thermal energy from the sun travels to earth as infrared waves.3) energy is transferred through the matter of space by electromagnetic waves. 4) when a match is burned, chemical potential energy is converted to thermal and radiant energy. 5) seismicwaves are caused by back and forth movement , or vibration, of an object. 6) mechanicalenergy in an engine changes thermal energy into kinetic energy to make a car move.