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Re: When Does a Meteorite become a Meteorite?

Hi, list:

Sorry to be so late jumping into this, but my e-mail's been out for a couple
of days.

In "Rocks from Space" (at least, the first edition) O. Richard Norton seems
to consider objects to be meteorites once they begin falling as dark bodies.
On page 52, in discussing such flight he writes, "At that relatively slow
speed, a meteoroid (now technically a meteorite)...."  On page 31 he
mentions microscopic meteorites floating in the atmosphere.

I think he makes a good point, although I had never thought about it much
before reading the book.  Once the object has slowed enough for its light to
be extinguished and/or has reached its retardation speed, it's going to fall
to the ground inevitably.  Even as it falls, it's as much a part of the
earth and its atmosphere as any other rock or suspended piece of dust.  At
least so it seems to me.  It seems pretty reasonable to call it a meteorite
as it falls.  However, I think the IAU defines a meteorite as a meteoroid
that reaches the ground, so I don't know where that leaves us!

Dave Hostetter

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