meteorite, any fairly small natural object from interplanetary space—i.e.

, a meteoroid
—that survives its passage through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the surface. In
modern usage the term is broadly applied to similar objects that land on the surface of
other comparatively large bodies. For instance, meteorite fragments have been found in
samples returned from the Moon, and the robotic rover Opportunity has identified at
least one meteorite on the surface of Mars. The largest meteorite that has been
identified on Earth was found in 1920 in Namibia and was named the Hoba meteorite. It
measures 2.7 metres (9 feet) across, is estimated to weigh nearly 60 tons, and is made of
an alloy of iron and nickel. The smallest meteorites, called micrometeorites, range in
size from a few hundred micrometres (μm) to as small as about 10 μm and come from
the population of tiny particles that fill interplanetary space (see interplanetary dust
particle).

Overview of meteorites and their impact on the earth

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Laboratory, astronomical, and theoretical studies show that most discrete meteorites
found on Earth are fragments of asteroids that orbit in the inner portion of the
main asteroid belt, between about 2.1 and 3.3 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.
(One astronomical unit is the average distance from Earth to the Sun—about 150 million
km [93 million miles].) It is in this region that strong gravitational perturbations by the
planets, especially Jupiter, can put meteoroids into Earth-crossing orbits. Not all
meteoroids need to have formed in this region, however, as there are a number of
processes that can cause their orbits to migrate over long time periods. Fewer than 1
percent of meteorites are thought to come from the Moon or Mars. On the other hand,
there is good reason to believe that a significant fraction of the micrometeorites found
drifting down through Earth’s upper atmosphere come from comets. Although evidence
from studies of meteors suggests that a small fraction of the cometary material that
enters Earth’s atmosphere in discrete chunks possesses sufficient strength to survive to
reach the surface, it is not generally believed that any of this material exists in meteorite
collections. For further discussion of the sources of meteorites and the processes by
which they are brought to Earth, see meteor and meteoroid: Reservoirs of meteoroids in
space and Directing meteoroids to Earth.