[meteorite-list] Meteorites 101
From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:55:52 -0500 Message-ID: <016c01cbb50f$bdeaf520$0302a8c0_at_Branch> Hello Count, Yes, many writers refer to the light phenomenon and the object itself as "meteor" but some make a distinction between the two. That definition does both, seemingly in the same breath! Also, does light originate from the "glowing rock" itself or the plasma (ionized gas) surrounding it? I thought from the plasma. -Walter ----- Original Message ----- From: "Count Deiro" <countdeiro at earthlink.net> To: "Walter Branch" <waltbranch at bellsouth.net>; <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2011 6:30 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorites 101 > 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 <waltbranch at bellsouth.net> >>Sent: Jan 15, 2011 3:13 PM >>To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com >>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 >>Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com >>http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > Received on Sat 15 Jan 2011 06:55:52 PM PST |
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