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Meteors do not burn up in space. They burn up in the atmosphere, because of the intense heat caused by their speed through the air.

A recently observed meteor - one of this year's Perseid meteors - was measured at 130,000 miles per hour. Given that speed, it isn't surprising that it melts to plasma within a fraction of a second.

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βˆ™ 15y ago
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βˆ™ 8y ago

Meteors travel at great speed through the earth's atmosphere. They experience aerodynamic friction which heats them up. They can burn up anywhere in the earth's atmosphere or even strike the earth.

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βˆ™ 7y ago

They don't burn, they melt - from friction.

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βˆ™ 4y ago

the thermosphere doesn't contain enough oxygen

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Q: What causes meteorites to burn up?
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Related questions

Why do meteorites burn up?

They burn up because of friction in the atmosphere


Why are there thousands of craters on the moon?

The moon doesn't have an atmosphere, so meteorites hit the surface and create the craters. Earth's atmosphere causes most meteorites to burn up due to air friction before the meteorite can crash on to the surface. A 'shooting-star' is a meteorite burning up in the sky.


Many more meteorites reach the surface of the moon because?

Many more meteorites reach the surface of the moon because it lacks an atmosphere to burn up incoming objects, unlike Earth. This means that the moon's surface retains more impact craters from these meteorite strikes compared to Earth.


What is it called when a meteor enters earth's atmosphere and friction causes it to burn up and produce a steak of light?

A meteoroid is a small metallic or rocky body. If it passes through the atmosphere causing it to burn up is called a meteor or shooting star. Any remnants that reach the earth are called meteorites.


-More meteorites reach the surface of the moon than the Earth Why?

Most of the meteorites which reach Earth burn up as they enter Earth's atmosphere due the heat caused by friction. The moon has no atmosphere.


What two objects produce meteorites?

comets and asteroids


Do meteorites become extinct like stars do?

I suppose there are more meteorites that become extinct than stars. Meteorites burn up in the atmosphere every night. Not only on this planet, but planets all around the universe. Some survive but get destroyed when crash-landing into a planet. A lot of meteorites also get sucked into stars.


What protects the earth from small meteorites while the earth's moon is?

Earth's atmosphere acts as a protective shield against small meteorites, as they burn up upon entry due to friction with the air molecules. Additionally, the gravitational pull of Earth and the moon's lack of atmosphere also contribute to deflecting small meteorites away from the lunar surface.


Why are such a few meteorites found on earth?

Meteorites are rare on Earth because most burn up in the atmosphere or land in remote areas where they are not easily discovered. Additionally, the Earth's surface is mostly water, limiting the chances of meteorites being found. Lastly, some meteorites may be small and difficult to distinguish from ordinary rocks.


Why do meteorites reach the surface of the Moon then the surface of the Earth?

More reach the surface of the moon because there is no atmosphere to heat and burn them up.


Why do meteors not burn up before the y reach the surface of the moon?

Because... there's almost no atmosphere on the moon. On Earth - the atmosphere causes meteorites to heat up to the point that they usually evaporate before striking the surface. On the moon - they don't heat up enough, and survive to land on the surface.


Do meteorites hit Earth?

all the time, but the meteorites just burn up in the atmosphere, this is caused by the thick atmosphere on earth, which generate a huge friction between the meteorites and the air molecules. You can actually see the it burning up in the sky, commonly known as falling stars. But it is not all meteors, which burn up in the atmosphere, it just have to be big enough to sustain its shape all the way to the ground, but this only happens rarely. but as you can see on mars it has a lot of craters, and that is simply because the atmosphere is much thinner.