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What do you mean by asteroids and meteoroids ?

seo-qna
Last updated date: 07th Sep 2024
Total views: 369k
Views today: 5.69k
Answer
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Hint:A small rocky object that orbits around the Sun is known as an asteroid. Asteroids are smaller than planets, but larger than meteoroids, which are pebble-sized objects. A meteor occurs when a meteoroid – a tiny fragment of an asteroid or comet – enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up, leaving a streak of light in the sky.

Complete answer:
Asteroids are smaller than planets, but larger than meteoroids, which are pebble-sized objects. The largest asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter, is home to the majority of asteroids in our solar system. They can, however, hang out in other parts of the solar system. Some asteroids, for example, orbit the Sun in a direction that brings them close to Earth.

A meteoroid is a small metal-based rock found in space. They are much smaller than asteroids, varying in size from a millimetre to a metre in diameter. As meteoroids strike the earth's atmosphere, they quickly vaporise and can never hit the surface. During the descent, they burn and leave a light trail. When meteors are about a $100$ mile above sea level, they become visible.

Note:As a meteoroid gets near enough to Earth and enters the atmosphere, it evaporates and becomes a meteor, which is a bright streak of light in the sky. These light streaks are often referred to as "shooting stars'' because of their presence. Meteors, on the other hand, are not stars.