WHAT
ARE METEORITES?
 Meteorites
are naturally occurring objects that originate in space and survive
a fall to the ground through Earth's atmosphere. Most are remnants
of asteroids or possibly comets. However, a few have been shown
to be pieces of Moon or Mars that were launched into space by
an impact event. While moving through space these objects are
known as meteoroids. The bright streaks that they produce
while moving through Earth's atmosphere are known as a meteors.
The term meteorite is also used for a meteoroid that
has landed on the surface of a celestial body other than earth.
NASA's Rover Opportunity found an iron meteorite on Mars (see
image on this page).
There are three main types of meteorites. The most abundant are
stone meteorites which are primarily made up of silicate
minerals such as olivine, pyroxene and feldspar. As their name
implies, iron meteorites are mainly composed of iron
but also contain a significant amount of nickel. The rarest of
the three are the stony-iron meteorites. They are a mixture
of stony and metallic materials.
Pictured top:
A part slice of the beautiful Imilac pallasite from Chile |
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Meteorite Men on
Science Channel |
| The Science Channel unveiled
its much-anticipated new science/adventure television show
Meteorite Men on May 10 to considerable acclaim.
The exciting one-hour special follows professional meteorite
hunters Steve Arnold and Geoff Notkin as they dig for giant
buried space rocks. Included: A visit to the iBeam lab at
ASU's Center for Meteorite Studies. Meteorite Men
continues to air on Science Channel.
Visit the official
Meteorite Men website
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A complete stone meteorite
(L6 chondrite) recovered in McLennan County, Texas. This meteorite
was part of the spectacular February 15, 2009 fireball filmed
by a cameraman in Austin. Note the black fusion crust which
is typical of freshly fallen meteorites and flow lines, both
created by the intense heat generated by the fireball. Learn
more about the
Texas fireball and meteorite >>>
Photograph
by Leigh Anne DelRay / Callisto Images |
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| This Sikhote-Alin
iron meteorite (IIAB) was seen to fall in a remote area
of Siberia in 1947. It was part of the largest documented
meteorite event of modern times. Note the indentations, known
as regmaglypts, and the natural hole, caused when
the meteorite melted during flight. Iron meteorites that exhibit
attractive sculptural qualities, such as this example, and
highly prized by collectors for their beauty. |
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