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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.
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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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