If a meteoroid is larger than 25 metres but smaller than 1km, it can be expected to cause local damage in the impact area. Any space rock smaller than about 25 metres in diameter is most likely to burn up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, causing little or no damage. Given the size, they burn up even before they hit the surface. Nasa says that on a daily basis, “Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tonnes of dust and sand-sized particles” from outer space. Which is why one can see a comet even when it is at a great distance from Earth, but a meteor is only visible as it burns through the atmosphere. A comet orbits the Sun and its so-called ‘tail’ is the trail described by the ice and dust as they begin to vaporise on its journey around the Sun. What Is A Comet, Then?Ī comet on the other hand cannot be identified with any of the space rocks discussed above because a comet is not made of rock but of ice and dust. If a meteoroid makes the journey through the Earth’s atmosphere all the way to its surface, then its remnant is known as a meteorite. Asteroids, and meteoroids, are mainly made of rock although some may be entirely composed of a metal like nickel or iron. These are also referred to as a “shooting star” although, of course, they are not stars. The streak of light that is thus formed as the meteoroid vaporises is called a meteor. Friction with the Earth’s atmosphere causes a meteoroid to burn up. Scientists say that meteoroids can also come from comets.Ī meteor is not so much an object but the phenomenon that is witnessed when a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere. Meteoroids are nothing but much smaller pieces of space rock and are described as “pebble-sized objects” formed when one asteroid collides with another and shatters.
However, US space agency Nasa says that asteroids can also be found in other parts of the solar system and “some asteroids orbit the Sun in a path that takes them near Earth”. Known as the ‘asteroid belt’, it is a region between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres lies in the same area of the solar system where most of the other asteroids are found. One such is Ceres, which has a diameter of more than 900km and is big enough to be classified as a dwarf planet. However, asteroids can be range in size from a few metres wide to hundreds of kilometres in diameter. In terms of size, asteroids are the biggest of the space rocks orbiting around the Sun that are not classified as either a planet or a satellite. But if you are confused about space terms and are wondering what a meteorite is and how it is different from a meteor, meteoroid, asteroid or a comet, read on. The event understandably caused much excitement among scientists and the public alike and a hunt is on for a piece of the meteorite. Residents of Oslo were greeted on July 25 night to a bright flash of light and loud bangs as a reported meteorite shrieked through the skies and landed in a forest near the Norwegian capital.
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