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How does a meteorite differ from a meteor?

A meteorite is a natural object that comes from space, survives the passage through the Earth's atmosphere, and hits the Earth's surface. It is a chunk of rock and/or metal that has broken off a larger space object, such as an asteroid (rocky chunks of matter in orbit around the sun) or comet (a luminous celestial body that has a tail and follows an orbit around the sun). The primary metals in meteorites are iron and nickel. Meteorites range in size from pebbles to three-ton chunks.

Meteorites are often mistakenly called meteors. Meteors, also known as "shooting stars," are small particles that burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. Meteors originate as dust or tiny rocks ejected by a comet's tail. A meteor looks like streak of light across the sky, never reaching the ground.

"Meteoroid" is the term that collectively describes all forms of meteoric...

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