IT鈥橲 TRUE THAT SPACE ROCKS 鈥� BUT SPACE IS ALSO JUST PLAIN FULL OF ROCKS. IN THE VAST REACHES OF SPACE, ROCKS ARE BUMPING AROUND ALL OVER THE PLACE -- IN FACT, ONE OF THOSE ROCKS RECENTLY PAID US A VISIT!
A SHOOTING STAR STREAKED ACROSS THE MIDWESTERN SKY EARLY LAST WEEK 鈥� AND SIGHTINGS OF THE PHENOMENON WERE REPORTED FROM KENTUCKY TO KANSAS TO CANADA!
THIS VIDEO IS FROM A POLICE DASHCAM IN ILLINOIS. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN METEOR SOCIETY, WHICH TRACKS THESE EVENTS, SOME PEOPLE EVEN REPORTED HEARING IT AS IT STREAKED BY.
BUT THIS 鈥淪HOOTING STAR鈥� ISN鈥橳 WHAT YOU THINK. ALTHOUGH KIND OF IT LOOKS LIKE A STAR THAT FELL FROM THE SKY, IT鈥橲 ACTUALLY A METEOR. A METEOR IS A SPACE ROCK THAT HAS ENTERED EARTH鈥橲 ATMOSPHERE. WHEN METEORS CRASH DOWN TO EARTH, THEY TRAVEL AT AMAZINGLY FAST SPEEDS 鈥� OFTEN FASTER THAN THE FASTEST CAR ON THE HIGHWAY!
BECAUSE IT鈥橲 TRAVELING SO FAST THE AIR AROUND IT HEATS UP AND GLOWS, LIKE A BRILLIANT FIREWORK! BUT DON鈥橳 WORRY -- MOST METEORS BURN UP BEFORE THEY HIT EARTH. IN FACT, SCIENTISTS THINK UP TO 10,000 TONS OF METEORS FALL ON THE EARTH EACH DAY, BUT MOST ARE NO BIGGER THAN A SPECK OF DUST.
BUT THIS SPACE ROCK THAT WENT VIRAL LAST WEEK MIGHT HAVE HIT EARTH RELATIVELY INTACT! AFTER SEEING SECURITY FOOTAGE OF THE METEOR, A
WISCONSIN COUPLE SEARCHED THEIR PROPERTY AND FOUND A PIECE OF ROCK THAT THEY SENT TO A LOCAL COLLEGE FOR TESTING.
IF THE TESTS PROVE THIS IS IN FACT A PIECE OF LAST WEEK鈥橲 GLOWING SPACE ROCK, IT WON鈥橳 BE CALLED A METEOR ANYMORE鈥� IT鈥橪L BE A METEORITE! A METEORITE IS WHAT SCIENTISTS CALL A METEOR THAT MADE IT TO THE GROUND WITHOUT BURNING UP! HUMM THEN I WONDER WHAT A METEOR WRONG IS?
Instructional Links
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