SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -Asteroids are smaller than a planet, but they are larger than the pebble-size objects we call meteoroids. A meteor is what happens when a meteoroid – a small piece of an asteroid or comet – burns up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, creating a streak of light in the sky.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most meteoroids are no bigger than a pebble. Large meteoroids are believed to come from the asteroid belt. Some of the smaller meteoroids may have come from the Moon or Mars.

Detailed explanation-3: -Typically less than 5 percent of the original object will ever make it down to the ground. These meteorites, pieces of meteors that are found, typically range between the size of a pebble and a fist.

Detailed explanation-4: -Some meteorites, however, are as large as boulders. The largest meteorite found on Earth is the Hoba meteorite discovered in Namibia in 1920. The Hoba meteorite weighs roughly 54, 000 kilograms (119, 000 pounds). The Hoba meteorite is so big, and so heavy, it has never been moved from where it was found!

Detailed explanation-5: -Asteroids range in size from Vesta – the largest at about 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter – to bodies that are less than 33 feet (10 meters) across. The total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of Earth’s Moon.