Chemical process control by george stephanopoulos
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In simplest terms, a meteorite is a rock that falls to Earth from space. Meteorites are rocks, but they are not like Earth rocks. Most are far older, and they provide some of the only samples we have of other worlds – other planets, asteroids and possibly comets – in our solar system. Some meteorites even contain tiny particles that formed around other stars that existed before our Sun.
Because meteorites are ancient pieces of these celestial bodies, scientist rely on them for information about the history of our solar system. The study of meteorites has helped us understand the beginnings of our solar system, how planets and asteroids formed and how impacts of large meteorites have altered Earth’s history and life on our planet.
Where Do Meteorites Come From?
All meteorites come from inside our solar system. Most of them are fragments of asteroids that broke apart long ago in the asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter. Such fragments orbit the Sun for some time–often millions of years–before colliding with Earth.
Meteorites can be huge: the biggest one ever found weighs around 60 tons, roughly twice as much as the Ahnighito meteorite at the center of this room. People have also found meteorites that are quite small, about the size of beach pebbles or even grains of sand.
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