Meteors and meteorites are events caused when rocky or metallic objects from space enter Earth’s atmosphere. Small fragments entering at high speed heat up due to friction and create a bright streak of light. This luminous event is called a meteor. If the object does not burn up completely and reaches the ground, the remaining piece is called a meteorite.
The meteor event over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on February 15, 2013, is one of the most striking atmospheric explosions of the modern era. A space object about 20 meters in diameter entered the atmosphere and produced a large airburst; the resulting shock wave shattered thousands of windows. This event showed how powerful even an object that breaks apart in the atmosphere can be.
Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona is one of the best-preserved impact craters on Earth. Formed about 50,000 years ago, the impact created a vast depression stretching over a kilometer across. The crater is an important natural laboratory for studying the geological effects of meteorite impacts.
The Hoba meteorite in Namibia is the largest known single-piece meteorite. This iron meteorite, weighing about 60 tons, reached the ground and has largely remained intact. Interestingly, such a massive object did not create a prominent crater. This is attributed to a relatively low impact speed and a shallow entry angle.
Meteor and meteorite events are not only visually impressive; they also carry information about the early Solar System. Many of these objects are remnants from the era when planets were forming. Their minerals and isotope ratios provide important data for understanding the Solar System’s age and chemical evolution.
In conclusion, meteors and meteorites are among the most direct points of contact between space and Earth. Sometimes they appear only as a streak of light in the sky, and sometimes they leave permanent marks on a planet’s surface. In both cases, they are concrete evidence of the universe’s dynamic and active nature.