Millions of tons of space material bombarded Earth each day. Most of these space materials vaporize in the atmosphere, but some of them fell on the ground. These are called meteorites. Thus, the small rocky chunk of space that travels to Earth is known as meteoroids. Very small meteorites are known as micro-meteorites. These are the space chunks that emerged through the collision of different bodies of the solar system. Here we are discussing some amazing facts about meteors and meteorites.
- A meteoroid is a chunk of space rock which burns up while entering the Earth’s atmosphere is a meteor, and if it lands, it becomes a meteorite
- Out of the millions who try to reach the Earth’s surface, very few make it to the landing, else all burn-up
- The speed of a meteorite is approximately 130,000 mph(209,215 km)
- In SouthAfrica, the buying and selling of the meteorites is illegal
- If you discover a meteorite as it hits the ground is known as falls, and if you find it later, it refers to finds
- Out of almost 500 meteorites that hit the ground every year, only 5-6 are discovered by the scientists to research on
- Meteors are stony, metallic, and mixture. These compositions tell us where meteoroids existed in the parent body
- The process of the appearance of numerous meteors showcasing in the sky at the same time is known as “meteor shower.”
- Meteor showers leave behind the debris as they orbit through the solar system. If the Earth’s orbit crosses the path of comet’s orbit, then the shower occurs.
Some famous Meteorites
Over time many meteors fell to the Earth, which is very famous. Some of them are the following:
- Allende Meteorite– Fall on the Earth in 1969, looks like a fireball. It is one of the most studied meteors of all time. It was around the size of a car, fell across the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
- Fukang Meteorite– It is one of the best examples of pallasite. Pallasites are a type of stony-iron meteorites. The pieces or meteorites are in much demand.
- Hoba Meteorite– It is found in Namibia, Africa. The size of the meteorite was around 60 tone rock, which makes it impossible to move. It is one of the rare meteorites. Thus, it became a site for tourist visits.
- Willamette Meteorite– The meteorite weighs around 15.5 tons. It is the largest meteorite ever found on Earth.