What is the difference between a meteor and a meteorite
Answers
What is Meteorite?
When two asteroids collide with each other, there is a small piece that breaks off these asteroids. These pieces from asteroids after the collision is known as a meteorite. It is believed that meteorites usually originate from the asteroid belt which is present between the Mars and the Jupiter. The size of a meteorite might vary from less than a gram to tons.
What is Meteor?
When a meteorite hits the earth’s atmosphere, it does it with a high velocity, which makes it look flashy and like a fireball. Therefore, shooting stars are actually meteors and not stars. There are different types of meteors, depending on their sizes and brightness.
Types of Meteors
- Earth grazers are the meteors that streak close to the horizon and have the longest and vivid tails. 1972 great daylight fireball was the most famous earth grazer.
- Fireballs are the common type of meteor, and they are bright and long-lasting than earth grazers. Their size may vary from a basketball to a small car.
- Bolides are bigger than fireballs and they mostly explode in the atmosphere. Their explosion can be heard and felt on the earth as they produce a sonic boom.
Meteor Showers
When meteor shower occurs we can only see few meteors and the sky looks like filled with fireworks. When there is a meteor shower we van notice that all the meteor shower takes place from one point and this point is known as the radiant point. Meteor showers are named after the constellation. The most commonly known meteor shower that is named after a constellation is Leonid meteor shower. The shower appears to be falling from the constellation but the source is the comet Tempel-Tuttle.