Which term corresponds to before entering Earth's atmosphere?

Which term corresponds to before entering Earth's atmosphere?

• A. Meteor
• B. Comet
• C. Meteoroid
• D. Meteorite

Answer: (C)

This question tests how we name space rocks at different stages as they approach Earth. The object before it enters Earth’s atmosphere is called a meteoroid—a small rocky or metallic body traveling through space. Once it hits the atmosphere, the friction makes it glow and streak across the sky, which is observed as a meteor. If some material survives the fiery passage and lands on the ground, that surviving piece is a meteorite. A comet is a different kind of object, typically a larger icy body with a visible coma or tail when near the Sun, not the name used for something before atmospheric entry. So the term for before entering Earth’s atmosphere is meteoroid.

This question tests how we name space rocks at different stages as they approach Earth. The object before it enters Earth’s atmosphere is called a meteoroid—a small rocky or metallic body traveling through space. Once it hits the atmosphere, the friction makes it glow and streak across the sky, which is observed as a meteor. If some material survives the fiery passage and lands on the ground, that surviving piece is a meteorite. A comet is a different kind of object, typically a larger icy body with a visible coma or tail when near the Sun, not the name used for something before atmospheric entry. So the term for before entering Earth’s atmosphere is meteoroid.