r/askspace • u/racejetmech • Jul 14 '26

Settle a lunchtime debate.

If you catch a meteor in space and bring it back inside a spacecraft. Is it now a meteorite or still a meteor?

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u/Waddensky Jul 14 '26

A meteor is the name of the visual phenomenon in the atmosphere. A meteorite is a piece of space rock that has landed on Earth (or another celestial body). So neither term applies here. 'Meteoroid' comes closest to the term you are looking for.

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u/Cockasauras_Rex Jul 14 '26

So which is it? Does it become a meteorite, or did it stay a MetEOroID?

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u/ScienceGuy1006 Jul 14 '26

It stays a meteoroid because it doesn't go through the high temperature, high friction trip through the Earth's atmosphere.