Meteorites $1.69 AUD
Category: Science & Nature
A meteorite is a mass of stone or metal which has reached the earth’s surface from outer space. There are various names for a meteorite depending on where it is situated. While it is travelling in space, it is referred to as a ‘meteoroid’. When it passes through the earth’s atmosphere and produces a fiery streak in the sky, known as a ‘shooting star’, it is called a ‘meteor’. There are three basic types of meteorites: stone, iron or stony-iron.Because meteorites formed from the dust present during the creation of the solar system, they are on average around 4.5 billion years old. Their composition is, therefore, a record of past geologic processes which occurred while they were still part of their parent asteroid. As such, they are extremely helpful in assisting us with our understanding of the history of our universe. However, this field of study is still both difficult and speculative work.
