météorite - traduction vers français
![Benld]] meteorite in 1938, with the meteorite inset. An observed fall.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Benldmeteorite.jpg?width=200 "Benld]] meteorite in 1938, with the meteorite inset. An observed fall.")
![Barstow]], California, in 2006](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Meteorite hunting in Mojave desert.jpg?width=200 "Barstow]], California, in 2006")
![A lance made from a [[Narwhal]] [[tusk]] with a meteorite iron head](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Meteorite iron harpoon.jpg?width=200 "A lance made from a [[Narwhal]] [[tusk]] with a meteorite iron head")
![Meteorite find in situ on [[desert pavement]], [[Rub' al Khali]], Saudi Arabia. Probable [[chondrite]], weight 408.5 grams.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Meteoritenfund auf Wüstenpflaster.jpg?width=200 "Meteorite find in situ on [[desert pavement]], [[Rub' al Khali]], Saudi Arabia. Probable [[chondrite]], weight 408.5 grams.")
![This small meteorite is from the NWA 869 strewn field, near [[Tindouf]], Algeria. Currently classified as an L3.8-6 [[ordinary chondrite]] it shows [[breccia]]tion and abundant [[chondrule]]s.<ref>Meteoritical Bulletin Database [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=31890 www.lpi.usra.edu]</ref>](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/NWA869Meteorite.jpg?width=200 "This small meteorite is from the NWA 869 strewn field, near [[Tindouf]], Algeria. Currently classified as an L3.8-6 [[ordinary chondrite]] it shows [[breccia]]tion and abundant [[chondrule]]s.<ref>Meteoritical Bulletin Database [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=31890 www.lpi.usra.edu]</ref>")
![The impact pit made by a 61.9-gram [[Novato meteorite]] when it hit the roof of a house on 17 October 2012.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Novato Meteorite Impact Pit.jpg?width=200 "The impact pit made by a 61.9-gram [[Novato meteorite]] when it hit the roof of a house on 17 October 2012.")
Définition
Wikipédia
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface, the meteor becomes a meteorite. Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater.
Meteorites that are recovered after being observed as they transit the atmosphere and impact the Earth are called meteorite falls. All others are known as meteorite finds.
Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites that are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites that are largely composed of ferronickel; and stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material. Modern classification schemes divide meteorites into groups according to their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy. "Meteorites" less than ~1 mm in diameter are classified as micrometeorites, however micrometeorites differ from meteorites in that they typically melt completely in the atmosphere and fall to Earth as quenched droplets. Extraterrestrial meteorites have been found on the Moon and on Mars.
