Meteorite - Wikipedia [1] A meteorite is a rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or moon When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy
Meteorite | Definition, Types, Identification, Facts . . . Meteorite, any fairly small natural object from interplanetary space—i e , a meteoroid—that survives its passage through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the surface In modern usage the term is broadly applied to similar objects that land on the surface of other comparatively large bodies
Meteors and Meteorites - NASA Science Scientists estimate that about 48 5 tons (44 tonnes or 44,000 kilograms) of meteoritic material falls on Earth each day Almost all the material is vaporized in Earth's atmosphere, leaving a bright trail fondly called "shooting stars " Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on any given night
Meteorite Identification: Have you found a space rock? If you would like to learn more about meteorite identification, and discover how to perform some other simple tests at home, please visit The Aerolite Guide to Meteorite Identification Meteorites are very valuable both to the scientific community and to enthusiastic collectors
How to Identify Meteorites With Pictures - Geology In To tell if a rock is a meteorite, start by examining its physical features and characteristics Many meteorites are magnetic due to their iron-nickel content, but there are non-magnetic meteorites as well, making pictures of these invaluable for identification
Meteorite - Education The best-preserved impact crater in the world is the Barringer Meteorite Crater, near the U S town of Winslow, Arizona There, more than 50,000 years ago, a meteorite weighing about 270,000 metric tons (300,000 tons) slammed into Earth with the force of 2 5 million tons of TNT
Types of meteorites - Natural History Museum There are three main groups of meteorite: iron meteorites, stony-iron meteorites and stony meteorites They differ in their amount of iron-nickel metal they contain and what they reveal about the early solar system
What Is a Meteorite? - American Museum of Natural History In simplest terms, a meteorite is a rock that falls to Earth from space Meteorites are rocks, but they are not like Earth rocks Most are far older, and they provide some of the only samples we have of other worlds – other planets, asteroids and possibly comets – in our solar system