Meteors

Meteors
What is a Meteor and how does it relate to our planet? To understand how Meteors relate to
our planet we must define what Meteors are their composition, determine what a meteor can do if it
reaches earth, and figure out if earth should be concerned about meteors. If so, how should earth be
concerned about meteors?
In the science world the term Meteor refers to the flash of light that can be observed
when a piece of space debris enters the atmosphere and burns up. Meteor refers to the light only.
The term Meteoroid is used to describe the physical matter of a meteor, or the chunk of
interplanetary space debris that has entered the atmosphere. If any piece of a meteoroid survives
the fall through the earth's atmosphere and lands on earth, the debris is then called a Meteorite.
(HubbleSite 2010) These Meteoroids can be made up of different substances that are found right
here on earth. Meteoroids are put into 1 of 3 categories as either a Iron, a Stony Iron, or a Stony
meteoroid. Iron meteoroids are made up of mostly iron and nickel, as well as nickel-iron alloys
know as Kamacite and Taenite. Stony Iron meteoroids consist of both iron and nickel metals, and
stone slicates. Both Iron meteoroids and Stony Iron meteoroids also have trace amounts of
carbon, galium, cobalt, and iridium. Stony meteoroids consist of mainly stone silicates and trace
amounts of metal. Since nearly all meteoroids have some amounts of metal in them they are
slightly magnetic. (HubbleSite 2010)
Meteors are flying around all throughout the solar system. They come in contact with many
planets, moons, and other meteors/asteroids. The moon that orbits earth has proof all over its
surface that shows its scars from meteor collisions as large craters. Earth too has been hit by
Evan Winegardner

Earth Science

Dr. Maase

Meteors

meteors but the scars are not as visable. Different factors determine what happens when a meteor
reaches earth, and weather is will leave a scar or not know as an impact crater. Factors such as
speed, size, and composition will determine weather or not a meteoroid will survive the immense
friction of the atmosphere. (HubbleSite 2010) Meteoroids that are are the size of a marble have the
potential to reach the surface of the earth although we might not ever know its here. Most of the
meteoroids that enter the atmosphere are about the size of a grain of sand and will burn up and
vaporize in the atmosphere. The ones that do reach the surface of the earth will most likely land
themselves in the oceans, which make up more than 70 percent of the worlds surface. However not
all meteoroids are the size of marbles nor do they all land in the ocean. For example the Barringer
Meteorite Crater in Flagstaff Arizona is a impact crater left from a meteoroid that impacted earth
over 50,000 years ago. (CraterFacts 2010) Similar to the scars found on the moon. This crater is
about 1 mile wide and over 500ft deep said to be crated by a meteoroid that was 150ft across
traveling at a speed of 44,720 miles per hour! (CraterFacts 2010) The energy that was released
from the impact was equal to about 2.5 mega tons of TNT. Meteoroids of this magnitude are the
ones that us here on earth should be worried about.
If the meteoroid that landed in Arizona or one similar to that magnitude landed in a city, that
would be the end of the city. Meteors are killers, and they are the leading theory on what caused the
dinosaurs to become extinct. The meteorite that caused end of the dinosaur age was said to have
been massive. Michael Whalen of the Geophysical Institute suggest that the meteorite occurred
over 65 million years go, that was over 6 miles wide, and that it created a thousand times more
energy than an atomic bomb. (Keenan B. 2010) If meteorite of this magnitude hit earth today it
would be the end of us. The meteor would cause a large ripple effect across the planet that would
Evan Winegardner

Earth Science

Dr. Maase

Meteors

cause giant tidal waves and earthquakes. It would also cause all the the volcanoes on the planet to
erupt while tons of ash and dust is thrown into the atmosphere. The dust and ash would block most
of the suns light to earth causing plant life to die. With no plants there would be no food, with no
food life will end. The earth has experienced large meteorite collisions in the past, but could it
happen in the future? Its because of these potentially dangerous meteors that earth should be
concerned about billions of meteoroids traveling through space. Most of the closest meteoroids that
earth should be concerned about are located in the Asteroid Belt.
The Asteroid Belt is a cluster of meteoroids that orbit the sun in between the planets Mars
and Jupiter. The meteoroids in the Asteroid Belt range from sizes of a grain of sand to over 500
miles across. (HubbleSite) Some meteoroids are so large that they have other meteoroids that orbit
it, just as the moon orbits the earth. Today several potentially dangerous meteoroids are being
tacked to see if they might come close to hitting earth. They are tracked using telescopes, however
telescopes can only see so far and depending on what direction its faced some objects might be
hidden from sight by objects like the Sun or other planets like Venus or Mars. Earth and the people
of earth should be concerned about a collision if we wish to continue thriving.
Some people are so concerned about the real potential of a large collision, that steps are
being taken to prevent such collisions or impacts. As such the B612 foundation has been created as
an effort to locate and track thousands of meteoroids that might be on a collision course with earth.
The B612 Foundation will be the first efforts to try and protect earth from dangerous meteoroids.
Such efforts will included the launching of a satellite with the sole purpose of detecting and
tracking meteoroids in the asteroid belt as well as other meteoroids in our solar system. The
satellite is know as the Sentinel Mission, planned to be ready in 2018. (B216 Foundation 2014)The
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Earth Science

Dr. Maase

Meteors

Sentinel satellite is a infrared surveying satellite that will have the potential of detecting meteoroids
of 30 meters across and up. With the information that can provided by this mission people could
have up to a 50 years notice of when a meteoroids might collide. With such a notice of incoming
meteoroids experts of the B612 Foundation suggest that meteoroids on course with earth could be
destroyed or even deflected. (B612 Foundation) This mission and technology could save humans
from becoming extinct like the dinosaurs. The cosmos might have plans for another collision in
earths future, but the more we know about meteors the better we can protect the only planet we
have.
Meteoroids or meteorites, not meteors, are real factors that effect earth. Meteorites as
Iron, Stony-Iron, or Stony are scattered all across the solar system, although most are found in the
asteroid belt, they collide with earth everyday in different shapes and sizes. Its the ones of larger
size that earth should be concerned about. Meteoroids like the one that killed the dinosaur could be
on their way to earth right now and we wouldn't know until it was too late. Earth should be trying
to ensure its safety with projects like the B612 foundation. Meteors will keep coming, so earth
should keep track of them and know when their coming so that something can be done about them
when they get here.

Evan Winegardner

Earth Science

Dr. Maase

Meteors

Work Cited

B612 Foundation | B612 Foundation. (2014, April 28). B612 Foundation. Retrieved May
1, 2014, from https://b612foundation.org/

What if a big comet hit the Earth? What would happen to us and how are you trying to
stop it?. (n.d.). . Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?
key=3112

Keenan, B. (2010, March 16). Scientists conclude asteroid ended the age of dinosaurs. .
Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.gi.alaska.edu/node/333

Crater Facts. (2010, January 1). . Retrieved April 24, 2014, from
http://www.barringercrater.com/education/craterfacts.php

What is the difference between a meteor, a meteoroid, a meteorite, an asteroid and a

comet?. (2010, January 1). . Retrieved April 23, 2014, from
http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=22&cat=solarsystem

Evan Winegardner

Earth Science

Dr. Maase

Meteors
1. http://www.armaghplanet.com/html/meteorites.html
2. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question486.htm
3. http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast121/lectures/lec18.html
4. http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=22&cat=solarsystem
5. http://www.barringercrater.com/education/craterfacts.php
6. http://www.gi.alaska.edu/node/333
7. https://b612foundation.org/

Evan Winegardner

Earth Science

Dr. Maase