[meteorite-list] "Meteorite and meteoroid: New comprehensive definitions"

[Chris Peterson]

I agree. There's no reason that "meteoroid" and "asteroid" can't overlap, as 
well. That is, all meteoroids are asteroids, but not all asteroids are 
meteoroids. A meteoroid is simply an asteroid (whether a few centimeters or 
a few kilometers) that is destined to pass through the atmosphere. (A 
complete description would be a little more complex, but you get the idea 
<g>.)

I also encourage a slightly broader use of "meteorite", by extending the 
term backwards in time to the point that the body is actually finished 
developing. Thus, the material that survives ablation or other entry 
processes should reasonably be called meteoritic during the period it is 
falling (cold), but before it actually makes contact with the ground. That 
distinction probably isn't important to most here, but to somebody like 
myself, focused on meteors as opposed to meteorites, it is useful to have a 
term like that, and I don't think we need something new.

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu>
To: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
Cc: "Shawn Alan" <photophlow at yahoo.com>; 
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] (no subject)


Hi Mike:

These are good definitions for things on Earth (meteorites, etc.), but
once one talks about things in orbit around the Sun, this is in the
purview of the IAU and they already have (not so perfect) definitions for
small Solar System bodies.

As I said previously, I would be hard-pressed to call anything larger than
1 meter an asteroid.

Larry