Meteorites

This passage is about the formation of meteorites.

Lexile Level: 950L

Categories: Science & Technology

A shooting star, that bright flash of falling light in a dark sky, is also called a meteorite. If you look carefully, you might see a few per hour on an average night. Meteorites are a bit of the solar system that has fallen to Earth and managed to survive the fall. Many disintegrate and break apart as they collide with the earth's atmosphere, but when they survive, they are called meteorites. Meteorites look like plain rocks once they land, but they actually tell scientists a lot about our solar system. Some meteorites come from Mars or the moon and help us learn more about those places. Some meteorites are made of iron and nickel. If a person sees a meteorite fall from the sky, it is called a "fall." If a meteorite is discovered after it's fallen, it's called a "find." About one-third of meteorites are falls.