A representative of the local police department (in Freehold Township, about 50 miles south of New York City) said that a geological team had decided, “the meteorite is very metal-rich, and possibly represents the deep interior of an asteroid. Its coloration, markings, density and magnetic properties are characteristic of an iron meteorite,"

Now, that we know what crashed into the home. Let’s learn more about it.

Asteroids, also called minor planets or planetoids, are small rocky celestial bodies that reside within the Earth’s solar system. They move in elliptical orbits around the Sun, normally between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally placed asteroids within the category of small solar system bodies (SSSBs). The group of SSSBs includes basically any celestial body within the solar system that is not the Sun, a planet (such as Jupiter), or a dwarf planet (such as Pluto, which was demoted recently by the IAU from a planet to a dwarf planet).

Meteoroids are relatively small solid bodies that orbit the Sun. The IAU defines a meteoroid as “A solid object moving in interplanetary space, of a size considerably smaller than an asteroid and considerably larger than an atom or molecule.” Most meteoroids are between the size of a dust grain and a boulder. Meteoroids become meteors (commonly called shooting stars) when entering the Earth’s atmosphere. As atmospheric pressure heats up the meteor, a glowing gas trail (fireball) forms due to ionization of its particles. This action produces radiation in the form of light. Many meteors are vaporized before reaching the surface of the Earth.

However, if meteors survive the trip through the atmosphere and hit the Earth’s surface (or another planet) then they are called meteorites. When analyzed on the Earth, meteorites are either iron meteorites (like the one that crashed through the New Jersey home) or stone meteorites. As the name suggests, iron meteorites are composed mostly of iron, but also contain small amounts of nickel and other metals. Stone meteorites consist of stony irons and silicates.

As of the end of 2006, just over 1,050 meteorites have been recovered from the Earth (after being observed falling through the atmosphere). In all, more than 31,000 meteorites have been thoroughly documented. A meteorite is traditionally named for the location in which it lands. The New Jersey meteorite has been temporarily named the Freehold Township Meteorite. The Nomenclature Committee at The Meteoritical Society (http://www.meteoriticalsociety.org/simple_template.cfm?code=home_intro) is responsible for the formal naming of the new meteorite.

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Science  Solar system  Space  William Atkins