Thanks for the definition. Let's see if I have this straight.... Meteoroid = in space
Meteor = The act of the previous meteoroid entering the atmosphere and producing light. Meteorite = Meteoroid, now meteor, that landed and becomes a meteorite. Let me muddy the waters a bit more:-) Where does the term Bolide figure in as compared to a fireball? I haven't found a good description of the difference. Rod --- On Sat, 1/15/11, Count Deiro <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Count Deiro <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorites 101 > To: "Walter Branch" <[email protected]>, > [email protected] > Date: Saturday, January 15, 2011, 6:30 PM > Hi Walter and all, > > This may be the acceptable nomenclature.... > > METEOR (mt-r) > 1. A bright trail or streak of light that appears in the > night sky when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere. > The friction with the air causes the rock to glow with heat. > Also called shooting star. > 2. A rocky body that produces such light. Most meteors burn > up before reaching the Earth's surface. See Note at solar > system. > Usage The streaks of light we sometimes see in the night > sky and call meteors were not identified as interplanetary > rocks until the 19th century. Before then, the streaks of > light were considered only one of a variety of atmospheric > phenomena, all of which bore the name meteor. Rain was an > aqueous meteor, winds and storms were airy meteors, and > streaks of light in the sky were fiery meteors. This general > use of meteor survives in our word meteorology, the study of > the weather and atmospheric phenomena. Nowadays, astronomers > use any of three words for rocks from interplanetary space, > depending on their stage of descent to the Earth. A > meteoroid is a rock in space that has the potential to > collide with the Earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids range in > size from a speck of dust to a chunk about 100 meters in > diameter, though most are smaller than a pebble. When a > meteoroid enters the atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. The > light that it gives off when heated by friction with the > atmosphere is also called a meteor. If the rock is not > obliterated by the friction and lands on the ground, it is > called a meteorite. For this term, scientists borrowed the > -ite suffix used in the names of minerals like malachite and > pyrite. > > The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © > 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton > Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. > > Best to all, > > Count Deiro > IMCA 3536 MetSoc > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > >From: Walter Branch <[email protected]> > >Sent: Jan 15, 2011 3:13 PM > >To: [email protected] > >Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteorites 101 > > > >Hello Everyone, > > > >The term "meteor" refers to the light phenomenon as an > object from space > >enters the Earth's atmosphere. What is the proper > term for the object > >itself? > > > >A meteoroid is an object in space. Is it > still called a meteoroid when it > >enters the Earth's atmosphere? > > > >-Walter > > > >______________________________________________ > >Visit the Archives at > >http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > >Meteorite-list mailing list > >[email protected] > >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
