All celestial objects found within our Solar System have unique characteristics based on their movement, surface features, atmosphere (if there is one), and locations in space.
How Often do Meteorites Hit the Earth?
Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles!
- About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface.
- Every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.
- Only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth's civilization comes along. Impact craters on Earth, the Moon and other planetary bodies are clear evidence of these occurrences.
- Space rocks smaller than about 25 meters (about 82 feet) will most likely burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere and cause little or no damage.
- If a rocky meteoroid larger than 25 meters but smaller than one kilometer (a little more than 1/2 mile) were to hit Earth, it would likely cause local damage to the impact area.
- Anything larger than a half mile could have catastrophic worldwide effects.
Mystery of the Carolina Bays?
Carolina Bays are oval depressions in the Earth's surface concentrated on either side of the North Carolina and South Carolina boundary. There are at least 900 Carolina Bays, with about 80 percent of these located in North Carolina. Carolina Bays are oriented in a northwest-southeast direction and frequently have a sand rim on the southeast portion. Carolina Bays vary in size from a few hundred feet to about six miles in length.
|
|
How these formations were created is still a complete mystery.
Celestial Objects Summary
Video Guide:
|
|
Topic Tips
- Meteorites are meteors that "strike" the surface of a celestial object.