Is a meteor an exploding piece from a supernova?

No. Meteorites are made either of pieces of cometary ices, or of rock. These rocky meteorites are either rich in iron, organic/carbonaceous material, or simply silicate-rich stones. Now, astronomers have carefully examined the microscopic contents of some meteorites and discovered that they contain individual grains of material. A careful study of the elements in these dust grains shows that they were formed in the material that was ejected by one of more supernovae long before the solar system and our Sun was formed. While not all of the meteorite can be traced to material ejected by a supernova, some very small microscopic pieces embedded in some meteorites may have been formed within or near an ancient supernova.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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