Asteroids, meteoroids, meteors, meteorites explained

Описание: Asteroids are large rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, primarily found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They range in size from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers in diameter. When a small fragment breaks off from an asteroid or a comet, it becomes a meteoroid. Meteoroids are significantly smaller, usually no larger than a boulder, and they remain in space, often originating from asteroid collisions or comet debris.

When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a meteor, which is the bright streak of light visible as the meteoroid burns up due to friction. If the meteoroid survives this fiery descent and lands on Earth’s surface, it is then called a meteorite. Thus, the same space rock is referred to as an asteroid in orbit, a meteoroid as a smaller fragment in space, a meteor when burning in the atmosphere, and a meteorite when it reaches the ground.

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