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A meteor impact - is simply a meteor that is too large to completely vaporise as it travels through the Earth's atmosphere. If it survives the journey - it leaves an 'impact crater' as it hits the ground.
Technically a meteor that impacts the Earth surface is a meteorite not a meteor. So the question should be what is a meteorite impact. Meteors burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. Meteorites are rocky objects from space.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoBodies called asteroids passing by the Earth are drawn to Earth by gravity. Depending on the angle of approach and the distance and size of the body, it may be merely deflected in its path or drawn into the Earth's atmosphere, at which point it is called a meteor. As it enters the atmosphere, it burns up because of friction as it rubs against the molecules that make up our atmosphere.
If any part of it survives to make impact with the surface of the Earth, it is called a meteorite. If a large enough part survives, it makes a dent in the Earth's surface known as a crater. If an extremely large part survives, it makes a huge crater, throws up enough dust into the atmosphere to disrupt our climate and kill off almost every living thing. Earth has had at least six of those that we know of in its history.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoMeteors strike the Earth every day; thousands of them. The vast majority of them are tiny, dust-sized, or rice-sized. But sometimes bigger ones do hit the atmosphere. Last month, a meteor that was probably about 6 feet in diameter struck the Earth and exploded with the power of a small nuclear bomb high in the atmosphere over eastern Indonesia. Fortunately, it was high enough that it caused no damage. In early November, 2009 (just a few days ago!) a small asteroid was observed only 15 hours before passing within 8000 miles of the Earth.
If a LARGE meteor were to strike the Earth, it could be devastating. In addition to the actual impact if you happened to be underneath it, the impact might fling tons of debris into the air, much as water splashes when you throw a rock into a lake. The shock wave from the impact would be like a nuclear explosion, knocking down trees, buildings, and anything in the way. Depending on the mass of the meteor, it might throw a cloud of dust into the atmosphere, which could darken the sky, much like the eruption a volcano. If the impactor were large enough, the amount of dust thrown into the sky might cause an artificial winter, as the Sun's light would be reflected back into space instead of warming the Earth as it does now.
65 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. We believe that over the course of a few thousand years, they all became extinct because an asteroid almost 10 miles in diameter struck the Earth. The devastation killed off every large animal on the planet, and about 60% of all life on Earth.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoEarth's gravitational pull kept the meteor in orbit around Earth slowly pulling it closer to it, eventually causing it to land into Earth's atmosphere.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agobecause a planets gravitational field pulls them in. the meteors come from asteroid belts and things left over from supernovas
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoWe are constantly being hit by meteorites. They burn up in the atmosphere and become so tiny and minuscule that they make no impact upon us
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Is comet and meteor the same?
No. A Comet is a relative large body that is seen for many days. A meteor is the flash of a tiny bit of sand or gravel, usually left over from a comet.
Will the Earth end if a giant meteor hits earth?
No. Earth has suffered many large asteroid collisions before and is still going strong. The main effects if it is large enough - and it has to be very large - would be on Life, due to sharp but temporary climate-change caused by the resulting dust in the atmosphere.
What is an asteroid called when it is burning up in the earth's atmosphere?
A metiorite. I believe what you're talking about is a meteoroid, not an asteroid. An asteroid is rather large, revolves around the sun, and when one hits the Earth, and a few have, it is disastrous. A meteoroid, on the other hand, is much smaller and when it hits the Earth's atmosphere and burns up (due to the friction of the atmosphere) it is called a meteor. After it reaches the Earth's surface, it is called a meteorite. http://dictionary.infoplease.com/meteor merci, have a good day.
What would happen if a rock from space was coming to Earth is it possible for every one on Earth to break that rock with making a sound?
The atmosphere density will cause the meteor/ meteorite to heat up and break apart. No, if everyone on earth makes sound on earth the meteor/ meteorite will not break up. But still a large asteroid will cause mass destruction if it lands in the right spot.
Are meteor storms dangerous?
Meteor showers are caused by tiny bits of dust or small objects burning up in the atmosphere. Usually they are not dangerous as the item is completely destroyed when it burns up. Sometimes larger objects pass through and some objects reach the surface of Earth. It would take something very large to do any real damage, so a standard meteor shower is not dangerous. They are something to go out and watch and enjoy.
What fell into the earth when dinosaurs lived?
Some scientists believe it was a large meteor that crashed into the earth disrupting the food resources and proper atmosphere, which led to the large dinosaurs dying off.Some scientists believe it was a large meteor that crashed into the earth disrupting the food resources and proper atmosphere, which led to the large dinosaurs dying off.Some scientists believe it was a large meteor that crashed into the earth disrupting the food resources and proper atmosphere, which led to the large dinosaurs dying off.Some scientists believe it was a large meteor that crashed into the earth disrupting the food resources and proper atmosphere, which led to the large dinosaurs dying off.Some scientists believe it was a large meteor that crashed into the earth disrupting the food resources and proper atmosphere, which led to the large dinosaurs dying off.Some scientists believe it was a large meteor that crashed into the earth disrupting the food resources and proper atmosphere, which led to the large dinosaurs dying off.
Huge craters formed when a large meteor hit earth?
Yes, sometimes they did.
How can you differentiate a meteor from a comment viewed from earth?
A meteor - is a short-lived piece of rock, that usually burns up lasting just as few seconds as it heads through the atmosphere. A comet - is a large ball of dust, rock and ice - that orbits the sun, and can usually be seen for many nights.
Why does Earth get meteor showers?
Earth sometimes receives meteor showers when a large object breaks apart in outer space. Once the pieces enter earths atmosphere they are dragged to the ground by gravity.
If a big meteor hit the dinosaurs then how come the earth didn't explode?
It wasn't that big! The theory is that a large meteor hit the Earth and the explosion caused a large amount of dust in the upper atmosphere which caused climate change and the dinosaurs (or most of them) didn't survive.
Why are meteor impacts not common on earth?
Meteor impacts are VERY common on Earth. However, the erosive forces of wind and water tend to wear away the smaller impacts fairly quickly, and the very large impacts are less common.
Is comet and meteor the same?
No. A Comet is a relative large body that is seen for many days. A meteor is the flash of a tiny bit of sand or gravel, usually left over from a comet.
What is the name for an event where a large number of small meteoroids enter earth's atmosphere in a short period of time?
Meteor shower
What would scientist do if a large meteor hit earth?
Same as everybody else - kiss his butt goodbye. But he/she would understand why they were dying.
What is a good sentence for the word meteor?
The meteor left a large crater where it landed.
What causes meteors shower?
There are tiny dust-sized particles in Earth's path around the Sun. These particles are usually leftovers from asteroids or comets.When Earth passes through these particles, they burn up in our atmosphere producing bright lines. This is called a meteor shower.. . .a group of meteors that have an orbit that intersects the orbit of Earth, resulting in a large number of meteors entering the atmosphere in a relatively short span of time. Said another way. . .Meteor showers typically come about due to temporarily high concentrations of sun-orbiting debris that crosses the orbital path of Earth and, hence, collide with her atmosphere.While there are no "comet groups", comets being invariably solitary, debris cast off from a comet during its close approach to the sun can participate as "meteoric" space junk that encounters Earth during a meteor shower. Meteor showers tend to arise from old comets that have broken up and spread out along the comet's orbit. A meteor shower happens when the Earth's orbit intersects one of these old comets' orbits. That is why the same shower happens around the same date each year, and the meteors in that shower all appear from the same 'radiant point'.
Will the Earth end if a giant meteor hits earth?
No. Earth has suffered many large asteroid collisions before and is still going strong. The main effects if it is large enough - and it has to be very large - would be on Life, due to sharp but temporary climate-change caused by the resulting dust in the atmosphere.
