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A rock hitting a space station is a meteorite or meteor?

dotancohen 8y ago
It should actually be "micrometeorite", not meteorite. Anything that leaves a slow leak must be tiny, as at orbital+ speeds even specks of dust have tremendous momentum and carry significant energy.
Angostura 8y ago
Since it hasn't entered the atmosphere to any meaningful degree, asteroid?
- perlgeek 8y ago
  I think the distinction between asteroid and meteorite is size, not whether they touch the earth atmosphere.
  - Angostura 8y ago
    A meteorite hits the ground, a meteor glows in the atmosphere, an asteroid orbits the sun.
perlgeek 8y ago
It's a meteorite. A meteor is really the optical phenomena of a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere.
- bigiain 8y ago
  As explained by the noted space nomenclature expert, Johanna Newsome: You taught me the names of the stars overhead that I wrote down in my ledger Though all I knew of the rote universe were those pleiades loosed in December I promised you I'd set them to verse so I'd always remember That the meteorite is a source of the light And the meteor's just what we see And the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee -- from Emily - by Johanna Newsome
  - ThomasBHickey 8y ago
    Joanna Newsom
alxlaz 8y ago
The word you're looking for is meteoroid. (Not meteorite. It's not a meteorite until it has fallen on solid ground or water :-) ). They're objects whose size is smaller than that of an asteroid, but larger than that of a micrometeoroid or space dust particle. Basically anything larger than a grain of sand, but not big enough to be an asteroid, is a meteoroid.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  And the meteorite's just what causes the light And the meteor's how it's perceived And the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGoNCvoZuYA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGoNCvoZuYA
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

It should actually be "micrometeorite", not meteorite. Anything that leaves a slow leak must be tiny, as at orbital+ speeds even specks of dust have tremendous momentum and carry significant energy.

Angostura 8y ago

Since it hasn't entered the atmosphere to any meaningful degree, asteroid?

perlgeek 8y ago
I think the distinction between asteroid and meteorite is size, not whether they touch the earth atmosphere.
- Angostura 8y ago
  A meteorite hits the ground, a meteor glows in the atmosphere, an asteroid orbits the sun.

perlgeek 8y ago

It's a meteorite. A meteor is really the optical phenomena of a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere.

bigiain 8y ago
As explained by the noted space nomenclature expert, Johanna Newsome: You taught me the names of the stars overhead that I wrote down in my ledger Though all I knew of the rote universe were those pleiades loosed in December I promised you I'd set them to verse so I'd always remember That the meteorite is a source of the light And the meteor's just what we see And the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee -- from Emily - by Johanna Newsome
- ThomasBHickey 8y ago
  Joanna Newsom

alxlaz 8y ago

The word you're looking for is meteoroid. (Not meteorite. It's not a meteorite until it has fallen on solid ground or water :-) ). They're objects whose size is smaller than that of an asteroid, but larger than that of a micrometeoroid or space dust particle. Basically anything larger than a grain of sand, but not big enough to be an asteroid, is a meteoroid.

stcredzero 8y ago
And the meteorite's just what causes the light And the meteor's how it's perceived And the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGoNCvoZuYA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGoNCvoZuYA

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]