Meteorite
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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
The 60-tonne (66-short-ton; 130,000-pound), 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) Hoba meteorite in Namibia is the largest known intact meteorite.
NWA 859 iron meteorite showing effects of atmospheric ablation
The impact pit made by a 61.9 grams (2.18 ounces) Novato meteorite when it hit the roof of a house on 17 October 2012.
Meteorite SPMN170422 shows how far atmospheric ablation can erode.
Meteor
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A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper
Meteorite
…factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface…
Meteor seen from the site of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)
A meteor of the Leonid meteor shower; the photograph shows the meteor, afterglow, and wake as distinct components
Multiple meteors photographed over an extended exposure time during a meteor shower
Meteor shower on chart