“A meteorite burned up in the atmosphere.”
Usage Entry 1304 / 1350 60-second read
Meteor vs. Meteorite
The streak of light when a space rock burns in atmosphere versus the fragment that reaches the ground.
The comparisoni
“A meteor burned up in the atmosphere — a meteorite reaches the ground. Two stages of the same event.”
The ruleii
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METEOR = streak. METEORITE = landed.
METEOROID is the space rock itself. METEOR is the streak of light it makes burning in the atmosphere ("shooting star"). METEORITE is any fragment that survives the fall and lands on the ground. Three names for three stages.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Meteoroid → meteor → meteorite.