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Meteoroids
In Greenland, people dig up meteorites and use the iron in them to make tools.

A meteoroid is a piece of stone-like or metal-like debris which travels in outer space. 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. If a meteoroid falls into the Earth's atmosphere, it will begin to heat up and start to glow. This is called a meteor. If you have ever seen a "falling star", you were actually seeing a meteor. Most of the original object burns up before it strikes the surface of the Earth. Any leftover part that does strike the Earth is called a meteorite. A meteorite can make a hole, or crater, in the ground when it hits it. The larger the meteorite, the bigger the hole.

Meteor

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A Question

True or False

A meteor is called a "falling star" as it falls to Earth.

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The Answer
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The StarChild site is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/ GSFC.

StarChild Authors: The StarChild Team
StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments
StarChild Project Leader: Dr. Laura A. Whitlock
Curator: J.D. Myers
Responsible NASA Official: Amber Straughn