People across seven southern states saw a fireball falling through the sky earlier this summer. What was it, you ask? A meteor breaking apart as it fell through our planet’s atmosphere. A small piece of the space rock even hit a house in Georgia!
A meteor is simply a piece of ancient rock from outer space that falls to Earth. If any parts of the rock hit the ground, they are called meteorites.
In the case of the meteorite that landed in Georgia earlier this summer, scientists have determined that the meteorite is older than the Earth. Scientists say the Earth is about 4.54 billion years old, so that space rock had been around for quite a long time!
The cherry tomato-sized meteorite tore through a house and left a dent in the floor larger than a US quarter, but luckily no one was hurt. Scientists say the meteorite is a Chondrite, a material created around the time our Solar System was formed, and may have been traveling as fast as 2,237 miles per hour when it hit the house. Scientists at the University of Georgia and Arizona State University are still studying the meteorite.
As surprising as the meteor streaking across the sky and the meteorite landing in Georgia, what is even more surprising is that millions of meteors actually hit Earth’s atmosphere every day. However, most are so small that they burn up before they can hit the ground.
One famous example of a meteor that left quite an impact is right here in our home state—Meteor Crater in Winslow! Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater, was formed 50,000 years ago when a meteorite estimated to have been about 150 feet across hit the land with an explosive force. Native Americans knew of the site, but the first written report was not made until 1871. Today, visitors can view this astonishing piece of natural history in Northern Arizona!
METEORITE FACTS
• Age: older than 4.54 billion years
• Size of meteorite impact: US quarter
• Speed of meteorite at impact: 2,237 mph
