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Firstly, we must understand the terms: meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites are not the same. The Collins English Dictionary defines a meteoroid as

"any of the small celestial bodies that are thought to orbit the sun, possibly as the remains of comets. When they enter the earth's atmosphere they become visible as meteors...that have speeds approaching 70 km/sec. They are also called shooting star, falling star...[and ] a meteorite is the remains of a meteoroid that has fallen to earth"

On entering the earth's atmosphere a meteor becomes incandescent because of the frictional forces acting on it , slowing down to about 10 m/sec, and most burn up and are seen as a flash of light [a "shooting star"] . Most meteorites are the size of a speck of dust, and those that are microscopic are known as micrometeorites.

Evidence of meteorite impact on the earth is rare because most meteorites land in the ocean, but there are not many non-microscopic meteorites anyway. In his book Vagn. F. Buchwald listed all known meteorites in the period from 1740 to 1990 . Excluding meteorites found in Antarctica, there were only 4,660 [only four thousand six hundred and sixty!] That is only 18 per year, or one every 19 days. Not very many.

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Okey Veum

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βˆ™ 2y ago
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βˆ™ 14y ago

Meteors, which are meteoroids that have entered the Earth's atmosphere, glow not because of friction from the air molecules in the atmosphere, but from "ram pressure" - the air that is being pushed in front of the meteor is compressed and heats to thousands of degrees (up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit) causing the meteor to glow.

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βˆ™ 13y ago

Most are tiny, so they burn up in the atmosphere before they reach the surface. That is what is happening when we see the light in the sky as they fly past. Only larger ones can survive to some extent to reach the surface.

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βˆ™ 10y ago

They can. A meteor burns up in the atmosphere. If it survives that and gets through the atmosphere it can land on the Earth's surface. When that happens, it is known as a meteorite. So in another way you can say that they don't as they are no longer meteors if they do get through the atmosphere without being destroyed completely.

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βˆ™ 13y ago

they are travelling so fast the air friction from the atmosphere super-heats them.

A common misconception.

There is frictional heating, but a large part of the heating comes from the massive amounts of compression of the air by the meteor's high speed.

(i stand by my answer, considering 'friction' as total air resistance not just surface friction)

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βˆ™ 14y ago

Mainly because most meteorites burn up in our atmosphere, so we are hit far less frequently than say the moon. Also, any craters formed from impacts are eroded away over the years from rain, wind, etc.

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βˆ™ 14y ago

Even though meteors technically burn up once they reach the thermosphere and burn throughout the entire atmosphere, they usually disintegrate in the mesosphere (50-85km)

They burn up when they hit the upper atmosphere and friction occurs on the meteors that make them dissipate as they enter the upper atmosphere but some still hit. By Jerry Boone

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βˆ™ 10y ago

If they don't burn up completely in the atmosphere they may be broken into tiny pieces known as meteorites. Some can be large enough to be noticed and examined. Others will have been broken up into tiny grains of dust that will be undistinguishable from what was already on the ground.

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βˆ™ 12y ago

It is hard to find meteorites as the fast majority of them are too small to survive entry into the Earths atmosphere. That is, they burn up leaving only dust and gas.

The ones that are big enough to survive normally impact the ground so fast that they then also vaporise leaving little of the original meteorite.

For those meteorites that break up on reentry and survive, they are then spread over a huge area and looks just like rocks really.

All in all it makes them tough to find! Which is why most meteorites are found either in snowy/icy or desert environment's - they are easier to spot.

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βˆ™ 11y ago

Firstly, we must understand the terms: meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites are not the same. The Collins English Dictionary defines a meteoroid as

"any of the small celestial bodies that are thought to orbit the sun, possibly as the remains of comets. When they enter the earth's atmosphere they become visible as meteors...that have speeds approaching 70 km/sec. They are also called shooting star, falling star...[and ] a meteorite is the remains of a meteoroid that has fallen to earth"

On entering the earth's atmosphere a meteor becomes incandescent because of the frictional forces acting on it , slowing down to about 10 m/sec, and most burn up and are seen as a flash of light [a "shooting star"] . Most meteorites are the size of a speck of dust, and those that are microscopic are known as micrometeorites.

Evidence of meteorite impact on the earth is rare because most meteorites land in the ocean, but there are not many non-microscopic meteorites anyway. In his book Vagn. F. Buchwald listed all known meteorites in the period from 1740 to 1990 . Excluding meteorites found in Antarctica, there were only 4,660 [only four thousand six hundred and sixty!] That is only 18 per year, or one every 19 days. Not very many.

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Q: Why is evidence of meteorite impact rare on Earth despite the fact that meteoroids often pass into Earth's atmosphere?
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What is an example sentence for the word evidence?

The police arrested suspects, but they did not have any hard evidence.


Which celestial object guards earth?

The large outer planets, particularly Jupiter, are believed to act as giant gravitational "vacuum cleaners" or shields to absorb or deflect objects which might result in dangerous impacts with Earth. Despite this, there is abundant evidence of meteorite impacts on Earth's surface, although these can get gradually obliterated by geological (and sometimes biological) processes. Although not strictly a celestial object, the atmosphere of Earth also causes many smaller objects to get deflected away or burn up in the atmosphere preventing their impact upon Earth's surface. Additionally, the Earth's own geomagnetic field protects against dangerous effects of the solar wind which might otherwise turn Earth into a world hostile to our familiar life forms.


Is an atmosphere possible without a magnetosphere Could a planet-sized Faraday cage act as an artificial magnetosphere?

Yes. Mars has a thin atmosphere despite not having a magnetosphere. A planet-sized Faraday cage would probably be impossible as it would likely collapse under its own gravity.


Why can't we go inside of Jupiter?

Despite freezing temperatures and toxic gas the pressure deeper in Jupiters atmosphere would crush you to the size of a grapefruit. No man made device could survive either.


Why is the mantle of the Earth often referred to as the cavern of crystals?

It isn't. At least not by Earth scientists! There is no reason based on the evidence to believe that there are significant void spaces (i.e. caverns) within the mantle (despite what you might see in films such as "The Core").

Related questions

Why is evidence of meteoroid impact rare on Earth despite the fact they often pass into Earth's atmosphere?

For two reasonsBecause most meteoroids never reach the earths surface but burn up in Earth's atmosphere due to frictional heating.Because Earth is a geologically active planet, which means the surface is constantly being reworked. This reworking obliterates evidence of meteorite impact events in quite short timescales.


Why is evidence of a meteoroid impact rare on Earth, despite the fact they often pass into Earth’s atmosphere?

When a meteorite hits Earth, the result is similar to a huge bomb exploding. Some of the material from the meteor turns to dust that goes high into the atmosphere where winds carry it over the entire surface of the Earth.


What is a good sentence with despite in it?

"Despite the evidence presented, the facts are irrelevant in this case!"


What is a falsely held belief that persists despite contradictory evidence?

Delusion


Why is mars so cold despite a high percentage of atmosphere?

It is far from the sun


What is an example sentence for the word evidence?

The police arrested suspects, but they did not have any hard evidence.


What medical term means a false personal belief that is maintained despite obvious evidence to the contrary?

delusion


Is Tim Burton illuminati?

There is no evidence that Tim Burton is a Satanist, despite many rumors to the contrary.


Which celestial object guards earth?

The large outer planets, particularly Jupiter, are believed to act as giant gravitational "vacuum cleaners" or shields to absorb or deflect objects which might result in dangerous impacts with Earth. Despite this, there is abundant evidence of meteorite impacts on Earth's surface, although these can get gradually obliterated by geological (and sometimes biological) processes. Although not strictly a celestial object, the atmosphere of Earth also causes many smaller objects to get deflected away or burn up in the atmosphere preventing their impact upon Earth's surface. Additionally, the Earth's own geomagnetic field protects against dangerous effects of the solar wind which might otherwise turn Earth into a world hostile to our familiar life forms.


What is a statement that always seems to be true in science?

A theory can be disproved, but despite the weight of evidence in its favour, it can never be proved.


What is a sentence with the word despite?

David bundled the cat outside despite its protests.She got the job despite her bad behavior during the interview.Despite making every possible effort by producing new evidence, they could not reduce the sentence of the prisoner.I'll answer this question despite my inclination to let people do their own homework.


Why will a metal rail and wooden floor have the same coldness after sometime?

Despite different thermal characteristics they have reached thermal equilibrium with the ambient atmosphere.