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“meteorite”
meteorite
A fallen meteor; a mass of stone or iron, that has fallen from the sky upon the earth; a meteoric stone. Also (loosely), a meteor or meteoroid.
A meteorite is often confused with a meteoroid or a meteor.
There are three kinds of meteorites.
A meteorite is a natural object of extraterrestrial origin that survives passage through the earth’s atmosphere and hits the earth’s surface.
- A meteoroid is a small object in outer space, generally less than 30 feet (10 m) in diameter.
- A meteor, sometimes called a shooting star, is the flash of light seen when an object passes through earth’s atmosphere and burns as a result of heating caused by friction.
- A meteoroid becomes a meteor when it enters the earth’s atmosphere; if any portion of a meteoroid lands on earth, it is a meteorite.
- Irons contain 85-95‰ iron; the rest of their mass is mostly nickel.
- Stony irons are relatively rare meteorites composed of about 50‰ iron and 50‰ silicates.
- Stones are made up mostly of silicates and other stony materials.
This entry is located in the following unit:
meteoro-, meteor- +
(page 1)
Word Entries at Get Words:
“meteorite”
meteorite
1. An interplanetary material or a meteoroid that survives passage through the earth's atmosphere and arrives on earth's surface without completely burning up.
2. A piece of rock or metal from space that reaches the surface of the earth, moon, or other celestial body.
2. A piece of rock or metal from space that reaches the surface of the earth, moon, or other celestial body.
Most meteorites are thought to be fragments from asteroids, although some may be pieces from the heads of comets. Most are stony, although some are made of iron and a few have a mixed rock-iron composition.
This entry is located in the following unit:
Astronomy and related astronomical terms
(page 16)