Meteoroids are tiny asteroids or bits of comets that become meteors when they burn up in a planet's atmosphere, and meteorites when they strike the surface intact.
Live Science tells you everything you need to know about these falling space rocks, with articles about how many meteorites hit Earth every year, guides on how to watch the Perseid meteor shower and other spectacular celestial events, and detailed coverage of meteoroid research, including studies of meteorites containing all of the building blocks of DNA, the world's first "boomerang meteorite" and the oldest evidence of a meteor hitting Earth. So, to become a space rock savant like our expert writers and editors, check out the latest meteoroid news, features and articles at Live Science.
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Latest about Meteoroids
2 meteor showers to peak on the same night. Here's how to catch them at their best.
Two minor meteor showers — the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids — peak overnight on Monday (July 29-30), making it a great night for stargazing.
The Perseids are coming — here's how to watch the glorious meteor shower before the moon ruins the show
As many as 100 "shooting stars" per hour can be visible, but a bright moon on the peak of the Perseids on Aug. 12 and 13 means evasive action is required.
Ancient meteorite discovered in Antarctica could reveal the true origins of Earth’s water, new study claims
A meteorite found in Antarctica in 2012 suggests Earth may have formed with the materials needed to make water, a new study hints.
Eta Aquariids peak tonight: How to see remnants of Halley's comet
The annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower, linked to Halley's Comet, will peak overnight tonight (May 5 to 6).
Ancient zircon crystals shed light on 1 billion-year-old meteorite strike in Scotland
Geologists have found that an ancient meteorite hit Scotland 200 million years later than previously thought, which has massive implications for the geological history of the region and some of the U.K.'s earliest land life.
Lyrid meteor shower peaks after Easter: How to spot the most 'shooting stars'
Roughly 20 "shooting stars" per hour may be visible during the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower overnight on Monday, April 21-22.
How a 'mudball' meteorite survived space to land in the jungles of Central America
"The fall of Aguas Zarcas was huge news in the country. No other fireball was as widely reported and then recovered as stones on the ground in Costa Rica in the past 150 years."
'It was so simple': How Antarctica's missing meteorites were discovered using a block of ice, a freezer and a lamp
"What if the iron stones were warming up to the point where they would actually melt the glacial ice beneath them and sink into it, perhaps even descending far enough so as to be hidden below the surface?"
