BIOL1300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Glossary Of Meteoritics, Water Cycle, Space Debris
29 May 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
A meteorite is a piece of space debris that impacts earth"s surface. Meteorites originate from the inner portion of the solar system, especially the asteroid belt. Picture: there is damage to a parked car inflicted by the peekskill meteorite (1992). Extremely large meteorites create large craters, and can significantly alter earth"s climate. Meteorites have been linked to past mass extinction events, such as the extinction of the dinosaurs. We track these large objects, and have developed methods to deflect them and prevent impact. Fortunately, most space objects that collide with earth are relatively small. They burn up upon impact with out atmosphere, and are called meteors (e. g. a meteor shower ). A meteoroid is a fragment of an asteroid or comet that orbits the sun. Asteroid: a small body orbiting the sun; too small to be rounded by its own gravity or have cleared its orbit region of other objects.
