Meteorites are when a meteoroid survives its trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground.
Difference between Meteoroid, Meteor and Meteorite
Significance of studying Meteorites
- Understanding Solar Systems: They contain in themselves past records of our solar system's history.
- Geological composition: They provide insights into geochemistry and mineral composition of the planets and solar system.
- Helps in understanding evolution of terrestrial planets including Earth and probe origin and evolution of life.
Exploration Initiatives
- NASA All Sky Fireball Network: It is a network of cameras to observe meteors in the sky brighter than Venus, which are called fireballs.
- Canada’s CMOR (Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar): It aims to detect the speed, direction, and location of meteoroids.