how do we differentiate between asteroids and meteorites?
In: Earth Science
An asteroid is a small rocky object that orbits the Sun. A meteor is what happens when a small piece of an asteroid or comet, called a meteoroid, burns up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/asteroid-or-meteor/en/
https://phys.org/news/2015-06-difference-asteroids-meteorites.html
Size, meteorites are relatively tiny fragments of asteroids and comets. Basically if it is big it is an asteroid.
There are 4 classifications here
1. Meteorite- something from space that has hit the ground
2. Meteor- something from space that is in the atmosphere, but hasn’t hit the ground yet
3. Meteoroid- something from space, and in space that’s kinda small
4. Asteroid- rock from space, and in space that’s bigger than 3, but smaller than a planet
There’s also
5. Comets- rocks made of ice that come from the outer solar system, and
6. Dwarf planets- mostly spherical rocks that have big orbits pretty far out in the solar system
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