Chelyabinsk meteorThe Chelyabinsk meteor (Russian: Челябинский метеорит, romanised: Chelyabinskiy meteorit) was a superbolide that entered Earth's atmosphere over the southern Ural region in Russia on 15 February 2013 at about 09:20 YEKT (03:20 UTC).
Cape York meteoriteThe Cape York meteorite, also known as the Innaanganeq meteorite, is one of the largest known iron meteorites, classified as a medium octahedrite in chemical group . In addition to many small fragments, at least eight large fragments with a total mass of 58 tonnes (128,000 lb) have been recovered, the largest weighing 31 tonnes (68,000 lb).
Meteorite huntingMeteorite hunting is the search for meteorites. A person engaged in the search for meteorites is known as a meteorite hunter. Meteorite hunters may be amateurs who search on the weekends and after work, or professionals who recover meteorites for a living. Both frequently use tools such as metal detectors or magnets to discover the meteorites.
Meteorite weatheringMeteorite weathering is the terrestrial alteration of a meteorite. Most meteorites date from the oldest times in the Solar System and are by far the oldest material available on our planet. Despite their age, they are vulnerable to the terrestrial environment. Water, chlorine and oxygen attack meteorites as soon as they reach the ground.
MeteorA meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a streak of light via its rapid motion and sometimes also by shedding glowing material in its wake. Meteors typically occur in the mesosphere at altitudes from 76–100 kilometres (47–62 miles).
AsteroidAn asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid (thus 1 meter or larger) that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). Asteroids are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no atmosphere, and are broadly classified into C-type (carbonaceous), M-type (metallic), or S-type (silicaceous).
MeteoriteA 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 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".
Formation and evolution of the Solar SystemArtist's conception of a protoplanetary diskThe formation of the Solar System began about 4.6 billion years ago with the gravitational collapse of a small part of a giant molecular cloud. Most of the collapsing mass collected in the center, forming the Sun, while the rest flattened into a protoplanetary disk out of which the planets, moons, asteroids, and other small Solar System bodies formed.
Meteorite findA meteorite find is a meteorite that was found by people, but whose fall was not observed. They may have been on Earth's surface for thousands of years and therefore could have been subject to varying amounts of weathering. Finds are distinguished from "meteorite falls", which were observed during their descent and collected shortly afterwards.
Cosmic dustCosmic dust – also called extraterrestrial dust, space dust, or star dust – is dust that occurs in outer space or has fallen onto Earth. Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and 0.1 mm (100 μm), such as micrometeoroids (<30 μm) and meteoroids (>30 μm).
Outer spaceOuter space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth's atmosphere and between celestial bodies. It contains ultra-low levels of particle densities, constituting a near-perfect vacuum of predominantly hydrogen and heliumplasma, permeated by electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays, neutrinos, magnetic fields and dust. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins (−270 °C; −455 °F).
Lost City, OklahomaLost City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 767 as of the 2020 Census, virtually the same as the population of 770 recorded at the 2010 census. It was the site of the first meteorite fall in the US to be recorded by a camera network.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.