Just about everyone has seen a meteor at one point in their life. Some of us have also been able to see meteorites. No one I know has ever seen a meteoroid. What's the difference?
Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites are three different things. The terms cannot be used interchangeably.
There are a number of dependable meteor showers that occur from year to year. The Leonid shower occurs in mid-November. Debris from an old comets seems to emanate from a point in the sky called the radiant. My favorite meteor shower is the Perseid shower. Because it occurs on August 12th of each year, many people are likely to observe the Perseid shower. There are specific techniques for successfully observing a meteor shower.
Sporadic meteors are caused by random rocks hitting our atmosphere. These objects are likely to be fragments of collisions between minor planets. Large objects can sometimes cause fireballs, which are extremely bright and impressive displays. Exploding fireballs are called bolides.
There are a few major types of meteorites, reflecting their different origins. Meteorites, which make it to the ground, are not hot at all. If you cut open an iron meteorite, you may find the distinctive pattern called Widmanstätten figures.
Meteorites have been known to cause damage and injury here on Earth. One crashed through a roof near Chicago. Hollywood has come up with some dire scenarios of large scale destruction due to impacts on Earth. What are the chances of us actually getting hit? Here is a site that will allow you to do a rather detailed calculation of the effects of an impactor striking the Earth. What would the impact of a fairly large object really look like? Sandia labs has come up with this simulation.
The samples found in museums are not representative of the material actually orbiting the Sun. There is a difference between a fall and a find. How would you know if you have found an actual meteorite? If you can't find one, can you buy one?
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Updated October 4, 2010