What’s that Space Rock called?

Are you confused about what to call a space rock? After reading this you will not be.

Comet is a chunk of ice and rock which comes from outside our solar system. It usually has a tail which contains water vapor and dust particles that are formed as the ice surrounding the rock melts when the comet approaches the sun.

Asteroids are chunky pieces of rock which are in orbit around the sun in between the planets Mars and Jupiter. They are believed to be the remnants of a planet that exploded. Sometimes an asteroid may bounce off another asteroid and head towards Earth.

Meteoroid is a rock in space which is larger than a grain of dust and smaller in size than an asteroid. In case it falls through the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up due to the friction it is called a Meteor. Meteors are also called falling stars due to the streak of light that they cause in the night sky.

Meteorite is a large sized meteor which does not burn up completely in the Earth’s atmosphere but retains enough mass to actually strike the Earth. These space rocks are used by scientists for science experiments to study composition and learn more about the solar system. Sometimes they contain valuable minerals in concentrated form.