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Re: When Does a Meteorite become a Meteorite?


richard>>Perhaps your definitions of "meteor" or "meteoroid" are too rigid. If
you equate "meteor" with the visible light phenomenon (which I don't; I
equate it with the physical object)<<

As long as there is an understanding difference, rigidity provides 
clarification. Not only I equate "meteor" with the visible light phenomenon, 
but so do many others. When you see the light of a meteor trail passing thru 
the sky, you aren't looking at the incoming meteoroid that produced this 
effect, but rather it's consequences with the atmosphere. The light you see 
is from both the meteoroid and the ionized air molecules. 

richard>>than I guess you have to call it a
"blacked-out" or "extinguished" meteor when its light is extinguished.
Or coin a new word. I was never particulary aware of this stage. so
never had any problem conceptualizing it.<<

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I say this in a good natured way here.  But why 
coin a new word when an existing word such as "meteorite" would make sense at 
this point? Neither meteor nor meteoroid no longer defines the object that is 
falling after the point of visible light extinction. At this point the only 
thing left is for the object to physically touch the ground....which it will 
eventually do with no defining changes to itself, the atmosphere or what one 
sees.  

richard>> I prefer meteoroid, meteor,
meteorite for simplicity's sake.<<

I do to....but I'm questioning the notion as to just when one should call a 
meteorite, a meteorite when the meteoroid and meteor definitions no longer 
applies. 
geozay

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