A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and impact with the Earth’s surface.
When the object enters the atmosphere, various factors like friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate that energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting/falling star.
Meteorites that survive atmospheric entry and impact vary greatly in size. Meteorites smaller than 2 mm are classified as micrometeorites.
Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites that are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material.
Meteorites are always named for the places they were found, usually a nearby town or geographic feature. In cases where many meteorites were found in one place, the name may be followed by a number or letter.
A piece of the Norton County meteorite, which fell in 1948, is brought in for appraisal. How do you even put a value on something like this? It’s definitely a one-of-a-kind item, and the effect it had on the owner is really cool; he became a geologist because of it!
The piece of the meteorite that fell in 1948 was handed down to the current owner by his grandparents. This meteorite is valued at $5,000-$7,000!
What do you think of the piece of debris from space not only having a significant impact on the man’s life, but also being worth as much as it does? Use the comments section below and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!
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