Asteroids And Meteoroids

Space is full of unusual objects, some of which are known to people on earth, and most of them are still a mystery. Various objects often enter the earth’s atmosphere, and some remain out of it. Among these objects, some are common to the knowledge of people other than scientists as well, such as comets, asteroids, stars and a lot more. People are not just fascinated by these objects but afraid of them too because nobody knows how good or how bad the impact of these objects can be on earth.

This article will deal with two of these known objects of space, known as asteroids and meteoroids, and both will be discussed in detail.

Asteroids

It is often thought that all the planets revolve around the sun and nothing else does the same, but various other objects do the same. If other things orbit the sun, then what is the reason behind only eight objects being considered planets and not all of them? When one gets deeper into it, one will realise that other entities that revolve around the sun neither have neither the required size nor the atmosphere to be called a planet. 

Such objects are given different names, such as asteroids and meteoroids. Asteroids are objects that revolve around the sun but are smaller than a planet. The size of these objects varies from a few feet to several miles and represents millions. These objects are often called planetoids because of the assumption that these are the disintegrated parts of the planet that exploded millions of years ago, leading to the formation of the whole solar system where the earth is at present.

Asteroids are mostly found in a few regions in large numbers. One of these rings is between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter, which is said to have more than hundreds of asteroids that are as large as a hundred km. It should be noted that although asteroids are found prominently at this location, it is not the only place where they exist. Scientists have said that many asteroids are moons to a few planets after the gravitational force pulled them in. 

Meteoroids

The rocky objects made of metal that are found in space are known as meteoroids. These are significantly smaller than an asteroid and are often the broken fragments of either an asteroid or a comet or any other larger objects in space. These objects vary from being more extensive than an atom to a few metres. Meteoroids are found around the asteroid belt in abundance and are often diverted from there by the gravitational pull of planets. 

Whenever a meteoroid enters the atmosphere of earth, it causes friction creating a shiny path called a meteor and people on earth often call this a shooting star. However, since a meteor is a very tiny object for the earth’s atmosphere, it often gets destroyed before reaching the surface or does not create any significant destruction ever after falling. 

Similarities between Asteroids and Meteoroids

It is crucial to know the similarities before studying the differences between the two objects of human fascination. Asteroids are rocky objects revolving around the sun and so are meteoroids but way smaller in size. Both objects from space are acknowledged as the debris of the giant planet that exploded millions of years ago, leading to the solar system’s formation. Both the objects are primarily found in orbit between Mars and Jupiter and often get diverted towards other planets by the gravitational forces. 

Differences between Asteroids and Meteoroids

Conclusion

Asteroids as well as meteoroids are both objects of space but have a different impact on the atmosphere of earth as they vary in shape, size and features. Both are unique and objects of fascination for scientists as well as all the other people on earth.