Meteor and Meteorite

The Meteor Story

NASA astronomers say that almost 17 meteors pass through the earth’s atmosphere daily. Large enough to reach the surface, the immense air resistance opposes the meteor in its track generating tremendous heat that illuminates the rock. The cause of light can also be explained by the intervention of glowing particles that sometimes cross the path of meteors. Generally, they become visible at a distance of 80 – 120 km from the earth’s surface. Common people refer to them as shooting stars. The meteorites are the remnants, if any, that often go unnoticed as most of the time they end up landing in deserted landscapes. Until the 19th century, “shooting stars” were not considered to be an astronomical event. Things started changing after the great Leonid meteor storm in 1883 when 50,000 -1,50,000 cosmic rocks fell each hour in the U.S. The name is provided based on the constellation nomenclature ‘Leonid”. Although many meteors hit the earth’s surface they are distinguishable in the night sky. Based on the chemical formation of the space rock and the nature of the air surrounding it, meteors appear in diverse colors. For instance, the purple color theoretically suggests that the composition of the rock is rich in calcium. Greater than usual size meteors are termed as fireballs which tend to be visible from a distance of more than 100 km. Bolides are those meteors that explode after reaching the surface.

Impact on the Atmosphere

When the air resistance opposes the trajectory of meteors, immense heat is produced that melts the space rocks. This emits greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which is responsible for global warming. Also, another major concern is the increased chances of acid rain when emitted sulfur gases reach water bodies followed by the entire process of the water cycle. Lastly, if the meteors are not vaporized in time they hit the crust and cast damage which might prove to be fatal. Meteor showers that last for a few minutes bring in a lot of dirt and pollution into the earth’s atmosphere, generate darkness during the daytime, and sometimes may even cast detrimental effects on the weather.

Meteorites

Meteorites are comparatively smaller in shape and size and they are distinguished from meteors based on the collision with the earth’s surface. Aerodynamic heating burns the meteorites and other similar cosmic bodies like asteroids as these particles reach a whooping speed of 20kms/s. The meteor phase ends once the rock hits the surface after traveling through the atmosphere. Even smaller meteorites are termed micrometeorites that are as small as 10 micrometers. Meteorites are smaller fragments of rocks that get corroded from asteroids that constantly orbit around the asteroid belts in space. Though Mars is the closest planet to the earth and the moon is the only satellite, studies have confirmed that even 1% of the total meteorites discovered on the earth’s surface belong from these two sites. The majority of the meteorites come from comets that are volatile ice fragments circulating the Sun. In space, uncountable radioactive bodies decay over time owing to their short life span. In addition, many bodies collide with one another to discharge fragments that approach the earth’s surface. As they are a rich source of information for astronomers and also an extraterrestrial element, private collectors or museums preserve them for study or display. There is no way to predict where they will be found as they fall more or less evenly throughout the world. A better chance of getting a hold of one of these is to be secured by searching for them in arid zones where withering is a rare phenomenon.

Difference between Meteor and Meteorite

Meteorites are fragments of rocks that are discovered from various sites across the earth. They come from planetary bodies, asteroids, or comets and provide information about their mineral and gas compositions. Meteors on the other hand cannot be touched and appear high up in the sky. The common term used for meteors as “shooting stars”. They are lighted up due to the generation of heat resulting from a collision with the atmospheric pressure. The flash of light resulting from the high velocity lasts for a few seconds to minutes depending on the size of the meteoroids. The other significant difference in modern explanation is stated as the size. Meteors are bigger compared to meteorites. To be considered as a meteorite, the rock fragment must belong from the solar system i.e., the same universe.

Conclusion

Different celestial bodies strike the earth daily, the majority of which go unnoticed. Based on size, shape, and composition we can identify and distinguish them from one another. Meteors are lighted traces that last for a few minutes to seconds before getting vaporized due to interaction with the atmosphere. If the process remains incomplete these fragments hit the earth as meteorites. Meteorites are composed of minerals and dust particles. On the other hand, we also witness comets that are made of ice.