Many planets, including Earth, are stony on the outside and metallic on the inside. Some were also made when two planets crashed into each other. Others are called “comets” because they are more like dirty snowballs that leave a trail behind them.Īsteroids and comets are the crumbles left over after planets like Earth formed, 4.5 billion years ago. Some of these rocks are called “asteroids”, because they shine like stars. But many of the smaller ones humans can’t see … until they hit Earth! The largest one is almost a thousand kilometres wide. We know there are many rocks that go all the way around the sun, just like the Earth does over the course of one year. Raab/Wikimedia Commons., CC BY-ND Where do meteors come from? Both types have a “skin” that is scorched, as if it had been in a very hot oven.Ī piece of the Allende meteorite – see its scorched skin? H. The other is like a clump of metal, much heavier than normal stone. One is a bit like stone, and it can be difficult to tell if it’s a meteorite. Surely, you’d think, meteors can’t be just like normal stones – well, yes and no. This meteor made the gigantic Chicxulub crater, caused a huge tsunami wave, turned day into night – and it’s the main reason why dinosaurs went extinct. But many dinosaurs weren’t that lucky 65m years ago, when a rock the size of London struck Earth. It’s a miracle no one has been hit on the head by one of these space rocks. You can still find some pretty big craters on Earth, though, such as the Barringer crater in Arizona, US. The Earth’s moon is covered with craters, but craters on Earth are usually washed away by rain, or plants grow over them, or they get wiped away when mountains grow. This can make a hole in the ground, making what we call a crater. This happened in 2013 in Russia: a meteor as large a house exploded above a city of more than a million people. Most meteors are tiny, and burn up as they fall toward Earth. Travelling this fast makes the space rocks very hot – more than 1000℃! And that makes them shine, like a star – which is why people call them “shooting stars”. While falling, these space rocks race through the air a hundred times faster than an airplane. Meteorites are “space rocks”, which are found on Earth after they fall from the sky. Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Lancashire, UK. What is a meteorite made of and where do they come from? – the children of Year Five at Leigh St. All questions are welcome: you or an adult can send them – along with your name, age and town or city where you live – to We won’t be able to answer every question, but we’ll do our best. Curious Kids is a series by The Conversation, which gives children of all ages the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts.
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