Meteorites are solid extraterrestrial materials that survive passage through a planetary atmosphere and reach the surface, providing direct samples of Solar System bodies for scientific investigation. As a research topic, they are categorized into stony, iron, and stony-iron types, with further subdivision into chondrites and achondrites based on texture and degree of differentiation. Meteorites preserve information on early Solar System processes, including nebular condensation, accretion, thermal metamorphism, and core–mantle differentiation. Their isotopic, mineralogical, and chemical compositions constrain models of planetesimal formation, planetary evolution, chronology via radiometric dating, and the distribution of volatiles and organic compounds in the protoplanetary disk.
While life on Earth has been dramatic enough lately, there's also been an unusual amount of news from space in the early months of 2025. So far, debris from SpaceX and Blue Origin rockets has landed in locations including ...
Space Exploration
Apr 2, 2025
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In April 2019, rare primitive meteorites fell near the town of Aguas Zarcas in northern Costa Rica. In an article published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, an international team of researchers describes the ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 31, 2025
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Curtin University researchers have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could significantly redefine our understanding of the origins of life and how our planet was shaped.
Planetary Sciences
Mar 6, 2025
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Asteroids, small airless bodies within the inner solar system, are theorized to have contributed water and chemical building blocks of life to Earth billions of years ago. Although meteorites on Earth come from asteroids, ...
Astrobiology
Jan 29, 2025
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Every day, about 48.5 tons of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 22, 2025
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A doorbell camera on a Canadian home captured rare video and sound of a meteorite striking Earth as it crashed into a couple's walkway.
Space Exploration
Jan 18, 2025
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Pocked with craters, the surfaces of many celestial bodies in our solar system provide clear evidence of a 4.6-billion-year battering by meteoroids and other space debris. But on some worlds, including the giant asteroid ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 21, 2024
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128
Billions of years ago, long before anything resembling life as we know it existed, meteorites frequently pummeled the planet. One such space rock crashed down about 3.26 billion years ago, and even today, it's revealing secrets ...
Astrobiology
Oct 21, 2024
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181
The sight of a fireball streaking across the sky brings wonder and excitement to children and adults alike. It's a reminder that Earth is part of a much larger and incredibly dynamic system.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 19, 2024
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Like Earth, Mars was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, but its early surface was very different than today's. Mars' surface then had high rates of meteorite and asteroid impacts from the period known as the Late Heavy Bombardment. ...
