What Is a Meteor?

By jamie

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3. Speed

Meteors travel very quickly. When a meteoroid initially enters Earths atmosphere, it will be travelling at approximately 25,000 to 160,000 mph. As it reaches Earths atmosphere, resistance from the atmospheres molecules will cause the meteor to slow down.

Some meteors will lose all of their velocity due to resistance from the atmosphere, only for them to begin accelerating again under the effect of Earths gravity. The speed that a meteorite will be travelling at when it hits the ground will depend on a number of factors and, the higher the speed, the more energy that will be released when impact takes place.

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