A Meteorite on Mars

meteorite_on_marsThe Opportunity rover found this meteorite on Mars. It is about the size of a basketball.

Little bits of rock and debris in space are called meteoroids. They become meteors (or shooting stars) when they fall through a planet’s atmosphere leaving a bright trail as they are heated to incandescence by the friction of the atmosphere. Pieces that survive the journey and hit the ground are called meteorites.

Image Credit: NASA