Meteorites

METEORITE MISSION · AGES 9+

How does a space rock reach Earth?

A small piece of rock travels through space. When it enters our atmosphere, it heats up and makes a bright streak. If it reaches the ground, the piece that is left becomes a meteorite.

It’s like…

It is like an ice cube melting on a journey: it can get smaller before it arrives.

3 ideas to remember

1
In space, the small object is called a meteoroid.
2
The light we see in the sky is called a meteor.
3
The piece found on the ground is called a meteorite.

AtmosphereThe layer of air that surrounds and protects the Earth.

MeteoriteA piece of a space object that has reached the ground.

I want to go further

Scientists study what meteorites are made of to understand the materials that were there when the Solar System formed, about 4.6 billion years ago.

Your challenge

On the map, find a meteorite discovered near your country and look at its mass.

5-minute mission

Read the big question.
Try one action or comparison.
Tell someone one thing you discovered.

Earn your stamp

Answer two questions about the lesson to stamp your passport.

Question 1 of 2

What do we call a space rock found on the ground?

FULL NASA DATABASE

Meteorites near you?

Use your position to find the meteorites discovered around where you live. It is rounded to about 10 km and not stored.

Source: NASA Open Data — Meteorite Landings ↗ (data from the Meteoritical Society).

LEARNING MAP

The meteorites on the map

Teaching sample

Located meteorites: 80

The heaviest (Campo del Cielo): 100,000 kg

Where they were found: 6 continents

Years of records: 500+

LOCATION

World map of finds

Iron

Pallasite

Others

CATALOGUE

Top meteorites

HobaIron, IVB · 1920

60,000 kg

Cape York (Ahnighito)Iron, IIIAB · 1894

31,000 kg

Canyon DiabloIron, IAB-MG · 1891

30,000 kg

GibeonIron, IVA · 1836

26,000 kg

Sikhote-AlinIron, IIAB · 1947

23,000 kg

Agpalilik (Man)Iron, IIIAB · 1963

20,000 kg

MbosiIron, ungrouped · 1930

16,000 kg

WillametteIron, IIIAB · 1902

15,500 kg

MundrabillaIron, IAB-sHL · 1966

11,000 kg

NantanIron, IIICD · 1516

9,500 kg

Gao-GuenieH5 · 1960

9,000 kg

ChelyabinskLL5 · 2013

9,000 kg

JilinH5 · 1976

4,000 kg

CranbourneIron, IIIAB · 1854

3,500 kg

AllendeCV3 · 1969

2,000 kg

Norton CountyAubrite · 1948

1,077 kg

EnsisheimLL6 · 1492

127 kg

MurchisonCM2 · 1969

100 kg

BarbotanH5 · 1790

72 kg

StannernEucrite · 1808

52 kg

KaroondaCK4 · 1930

41.7 kg

L'AigleL6 · 1803

37 kg

JohnstownDiogenite · 1924

23.6 kg

ZagamiMartian (shergottite) · 1962

18 kg

OrgueilCI1 · 1864

14 kg

PeekskillH6 · 1992

12.6 kg

NakhlaMartian (nakhlite) · 1911

10 kg

CoolacPallasite · 1904

8.6 kg

Cold BokkeveldCM2 · 1838

4 kg

St. MesminLL · 1866

2.7 kg

COMPOSITION

Split by class

Top 10

Ir*

H5*

Ma*

CM*

Pa*

LL*

L6*

L5*

Lu*

CV*

Chondrites

The most common: they have barely changed since the Solar System formed, 4.6 billion years ago.

Iron meteorites

Made of iron and nickel: they come from the core of asteroids that broke apart.

Lunar

Knocked off the Moon by impacts, then fell to Earth.

Martian

Knocked off Mars by impacts: several hundred have been identified around the world.

Meteorite map

How does a space rock reach Earth?

3 ideas to remember

5-minute mission

What do we call a space rock found on the ground?

Meteorites near you?

The meteorites on the map

World map of finds

Top meteorites

Split by class

Meteorite map

How does a space rock reach Earth?

3 ideas to remember

5-minute mission

What do we call a space rock found on the ground?

Meteorites near you?

The meteorites on the map

World map of finds

Top meteorites

Split by class