18+ Meteor Facts About Space’s Fireworks! (Free Printables)

Meteors are body matter that are small in size and originate from outer space and then enter our planet, Earth.

As a result of friction, these body matters look like streaks of light in the sky. Discovering a meteorite or experiencing meteor showers can be amazing experiences for almost everyone.

Also, some of these meteors are believed to contain some of the oldest rocks in our universe. 

These meteors contain some amazing characteristics and features that may amaze you. Hence, let us discuss some amazing facts about these minuscule body matters called meteors.

Discovering Meteor Facts:

Meteorites Are Solid Particles that Fall to The Surface of The Earth

Meteorites Are Solid Particles

Meteorites are solid pieces of particles or debris that can originate from some foreign objects, like asteroids, comets, or even meteorites.

These particles are regarded as meteorites if they do not break from their way through the atmosphere to the surface of a moon or a planet from outer space. 

The Most Famous Asteroids Are Located in The Asteroid

According to many researchers, the main meteor belt lies between the two significant planets of our solar system and even orbits them.

The main belt of asteroids is found to be more than two and a half times as far as our planet Earth is from the Sun. On this specific orbit, the current number of the known asteroid is 840,170.

Many Meteorites Are Believed to Originate from Asteroids

Meteorites Originated From Asteroids

Sometimes, it can be very difficult to distinguish between a meteorite and a regular Earth rock just by looking at it.

However, in some specific places in the world, distinguishing between these two elements becomes a very simple task.

For instance, dark meteoroids and desert rocks stand out very clearly from one another. Similar meteorites can be much easier to spot in locations with frozen plains and colder weather.

Meteors Are Solid Particles that Enter the Earth’s Atmosphere

Meteors usually come in different sizes. They can be as big as a horse or as small as a particle that you can see under sunlight.

The name of these particles is derived from the Greek word meteor. This word translates to a certain phenomenon in the sky.

The inhabitants of Greece used this term to properly define the light streaks in the sky when these body matters called meteors would fall into the atmosphere of the Earth.

The Largest Single Meteorite on Earth Is the Hoba Meteorite

The Largest Single Meteorite On Earth

Hoba Meteor is known as the largest single meteorite located on Earth. The measure of this body matter is 9ft by 3ft.

The name Hoba Meteor is short for Hoba West, and it is located on a farm with the same name.

Though this meteorite had been uncovered, it never moved from its impact because of its huge mass, which was measured at more than 60 tonnes.

Also, this meteorite is well-known for being the largest one even after the collision. Its name Hoba means gift in the Khoekhoegowab language.

The Barringer Meteorite Is Famous for The Crater It Left Behind

The Hobe Meteor is famous as the largest naturally occurring piece of iron on Earth’s surface. Similarly, the Barringer meteorite is famous for the crater it left behind.

The crater left behind this famous meteorite formed a crater measured almost 18 miles west of Winslow and around 37 km east of Flagstaff.

The crater of this meteor is located at an elevation of about 5640 ft above sea level. It is almost 560 ft deep and 3900 ft in diameter.

Meteorites, Meteoroids, and Meteors

Meteorites, Meteoroids, And Meteors

A meteoroid is made up of smaller particles or rocks that are present in orbit around the Sun.

In contrast, a meteor is named such only if it can successfully enter the atmosphere of Earth and then vaporize. Thus, in some situations, people also call it a shooting star. 

On the other hand, a meteorite is a small asteroid that can survive its passage through the planet’s atmosphere.

However, a meteorite is called a meteorite only if it passes this stage and lands on the surface of the planet.

Meteoroids Vary in Size, Often Being Too Small to See

In most cases, these meteorites fall into bodies of water and can never be studied or recovered.

According to several researchers, up to three hundred tons of space dust and micrometeorites fall into our planet daily.

Though hundreds of meteorites fall from outer space onto our Earth daily, it is around 90-95% safe.

The reason is most of those meteors burn up entirely in the Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the planet’s surface.

Meteorites Are Classified as “falls” or “finds”

The Falls And Finds Of Meteorites

Meteorites detected or seen as they land are known as“falls.” However, those that are discovered later are known as “finds.”

Also, among the 500 estimated meteorites that hit the ground yearly, just five or six are recovered for scientists to study.

A Meteor Shower Occurs when Multiple Meteors Enter Earth’s Atmosphere

Most meteors are from comets, meaning they are primarily icy. Due to this, most meteors entirely burn in the atmosphere, and it is impossible to see meteorites after a meteor shower.

These meteor showers are named after the constellation as per their apparent origins in the sky. Some well-known meteor showers are the Geminids and the Perseids from the Gemini and Perseus constellations.

Though they are mostly seen against the night sky, some bright ones can even be seen in daylight.

Scientists Have Discovered Around 40 Meteorite Craters on Earth

Meteorite Craters

Scientists on Earth have identified almost a hundred and twenty impact craters in Total.

Among them, a total of nearly 40 meteorite craters have a span that is larger than 12 miles in diameter. The most recent impact of a giant hole was last noted in 1908.

This was reported to have happened in an uninhabited area of western Siberia, and the name of that place is Tunguska. The impactor was around 60 meters in diameter, including many loose pieces.

A Meteor’s Light Trail Length Depends on The Meteoroid

The beautiful, bright trail of light created by the meteoroid during its atmospheric flight. As the meteoroid starts falling and begins to burn, and eventually, this burn intensifies as it falls.

This unique procedure is known as adiabatic compression. The visible tail can reach more than 150 million km in length and constantly streams in the Sun’s opposite direction.

Also, the length of a meteoroid’s tails can vary from a few seconds to almost 30 minutes.

Meteors Are Caused by Air Pressure and Friction

Meteors Are Caused By Pressure And Friction Of Air Particles

The phenomenon called a meteor shower takes place when the planet is in orbit around the Sun.

At that time, it passes through the debris left over from some other comets’ disintegration. Most of these comets’ orbits are a little bit more elongated in comparison to the rotation of the Sun. 

Scientists Believe Dinosaurs Became Extinct Due to A Giant Meteor Impact

Many scientists believe that dinosaurs became extinct due to a giant meteor crash. To support this theory, scientists rely on the Chicxulub crater for evidence.

The structure of this crater shows that it had a diameter of around 11-81 km and caused an energy blast that was worth 21-921 billion Hiroshima bombs.

This incredible impact is believed to have killed all the living organisms, like plants and dinosaurs, that lived during prehistoric times.

When a meteoroid is classified as an asteroid

Meteoroid Are Classified As An Asteroid

Asteroids are mainly rocky bodies that orbit around the Sun. Due to their small sizes, they are not called planets. Millions of asteroids orbit outer space.

Though they are small, they can still be dangerous if they crash into the Earth. In Total, the mass of all those asteroids is less than the Moon of our planet.

Meteor Scatter Communications or Meteor Burst Communication

The National Weather Service bounces specific radio signals off the ionized trails, which is called meteor scatter communications. Meteors leave those trails.

This helps collect automated data from weather stations and occasional data from the respective US government agencies.

Most of these communications are conducted between radio stations with a particular transmission and reception period schedule.

Several locations and countries in the USA use a similar method of data collection in remote places.

The Willamette Meteorite Is One of The Largest Meteorites

The Willamette Meteorite

The Willamette meteorite is the largest meteorite found in the United States. This meteorite weighs approximately 15.5 and stands ten feet tall.

This meteorite is a pitted iron meteorite that is regarded to be the remains of a planet’s iron core that was destroyed in a collision billions of years ago.

This meteorite landed about 1000 years ago and was discovered in 1902 by Westerners. However, the Native American tribe Clackamas revered it as a healing source called Tomanowos.

The Allan Hills 84001 Is a Famous Meteorite from Mars

The Allan Hills 84001 is a scarce meteorite from Mars. It got its name after Alan Hills, where it was discovered in Antarctica. When it was found, it had a mass of 1.93 kg or 4.3 pounds.

It was believed that this meteorite had come from the surface of Mars through an impact event almost 17 million years ago.

So, meteors are interesting body matters that have amazed scientists and nature lovers.

Free Meteor Facts Printables

Excited to learn about meteors with your kids? Our Free Meteor Facts Printables are perfect for engaging young minds and expanding their knowledge about these fascinating space rocks.

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Free Meteor Facts Printables
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