A meteorite is an extraterrestrial body that survives its impact with the Earth's surface without being destroyed. While in space it is called a meteoroid. When it enters the atmosphere, air resistance causes the body to heat up and emit light, thus forming a fireball, also known as a meteor or shooting star. The term bolide refers to either an extraterrestrial body that collides with the Earth, or to an exceptionally bright, fireball-like meteor regardless of whether it ultimately impacts the surface.
More generally, a meteorite on the surface of any celestial body is an object that has come from elsewhere in space. Meteorites have been found on the Moon and Mars.
Meteorites that are recovered after being observed as they transitted the atmosphere or impacted the Earth are called falls. All other meteorites are known as finds. As of mid-2006, there are approximately 1050 witnessed falls having specimens in the world's collections. In contrast, there are over 31,000 well-documented meteorite findsMeteoritical Bulletin Database.
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Antarctic Meteorite Recovery Expedition 2001 - An account of the ANSMET expedition in search of meteorites in Antarctica.
Meta Description: [ An account of the 2001-2002 ANSMET expedition in search of meteorites in Antarctica. ]
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Arctic Asteroid! - A review of the Tagish Lake Meteorite. Background, new specimens, images, and glossary.
Meta Description: [ NASA Science News: On January 18, 2000, residents of Western Canada
were surprised when a fireball as bright as the Sun streaked
across the morning sky. ]
Arizona Meteorites - Catalog of meteorites found in this state, including map of fall locations. For each find, there is a picture and description, including meteorite type, weight, and date and circumstances of discovery.
Boggy Creek Collection of Meteorite Finds - Promotes the sale, collection, trading and auction of samples of rocks thought to be meteorites. Includes analytical data and photomicrographs.
Meta Description: [ Planetary science research page ]
Buckyballs Can Come from Outer Space - Study shows that fullerenes originating outside of the solar system arrive to Earth intact in carbon-rich meteorites.
Meta Description: [ A new analysis settles the question of whether carbon molecules found in meteorites have an extraterrestrial origin. ]
Dave's Space Junk - Information about the Holbrook (Arizona) meteorite strewn field, including a picture gallery.
Meta Description: [ Tripod is a free web host with easy site building tools for blogs, photo albums, Microsoft FrontPage(®) support, and ftp, as well as a variety of subscription packages to choose from. Features include safe and reliable hosting, online help, and a variety of tools and services to give the flexibil... ]
Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico - Information about the institute, including its research, laboratory capabilities and museum collection, with educational activities for teachers and advice on Do you think you might have found a meteorite?
Lunar Meteorites - Focuses on meteorites and meteoroids that came from the moon, including how they get here, how their source is determined, types, chemistry, catalog of all verified finds, and other resources.
Mars Meteorites - Jet Propulsion Laboratory's catalog of worldwide meteorite finds identified as originating from the planet Mars.
Meteorite Central - General information on meteorites, meteroids, and related topics; glossary; current news; and links to science sites, dealers, and educational sites.
Meteorite Identification (Gone Wrong) - Focus on the misidentification of meteorites, with numerous examples from news media and the Internet.
Meta Description: [ Meteorite mis-identification, Actual meteorwrong auctions,
meteorite mistakes Meteor-wrongs in the News, FAQ's, Hot Rocks, photos, ]
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Meteorite Metal - Offers introduction to meteorite metallography and images from personal collection.
Meteorite Preservation and Repair - Complete, concise instructions for preserving meteorites in collections.
Meta Description: [ The Meteorite Market's page on how to preserve and care for meteorites ]
Meteorite-list -- Meteorite Discussion Forum - Active mailing list for discussion of rocks from space, with archives of several year' messages.
Meteorite.fr - All about Meteorites - Topics include origins and classificaiton of meteorites, historical impacts, and news about recent finds and the specimens market.
Meteorites and Their Properties - Comprehensive information about where meteorites come from, where they are found and the composition of the many different types.
Meteorites Australia - List of meteorites found in the country, with many photos. Includes glossary of terms, information on meteorite identification and classification, and details of specimens for sale.
Meta Description: [ Meteorites Australia - one of the world's most comprehensive internet sources for information and guides on all aspects of meteorites and meteorite collecting. Various pages including the complete Meteorite Classification List and Found A Meteorite. Meteorites For Sale. Meteorite Information Page... ]
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Meteorites from Antarctica - Images and investigation reports on the collection of meteorites found in Antarctica, with instructions on how to obtain samples for analysis.
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Meteorites from Mars - Offers science results, images and curation information on a collection at NASA.
Meteorites Wanted - Offers identification and analysis of meteorite finds. Includes introduction to types of meteorites and a guide to meteorite wrongs (rocks mistakenly thought to be meteorites).
Nevada Meteorites - Map, photos, and other information about meteorites recovered in Nevada and adjacent states.
Niger Meteorite Recon - Illustrated reports, photo gallery from meteorite expeditions undertaken in the Sahara desert of North Africa.
Meta Description: [ The oldest matter found on earth originates from outer space. This debris from far away worlds falls from the icy depths of space onto the ever-changing surface of our planet. Those fragments tell us about the emergence of the elements and the birth and death of celestial bodies. Today in almost ... ]
Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery - Primer on meteorites, photos of the museum collection situated on the campus of Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, Texas, and visitor information.
Meta Description: [ The Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery, meteorite collection, meteorite museum is situated on the campus of TCU in Forth Worth, Texas. ]
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Smithsonian Institution Division of Meteorites - Information about the types and identification of meteorites, with recommended books on the topic.
The Meteoritical Society - Professional research society promoting the science of meteoritics. Includes educational materials on meteorites, lunar samples, space dust, and related topics; newsletters; journal information; and links.
Meta Description: [ The Meteoritical Society is an international organisation dedicated to research and education on meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials ]
| will discuss the scientific importance of meteorites, and the methods used to recover them from the East Antarctic Ice ... | |
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