I call them roids, makes the prefix rather irrelevant.
Why are the small rocks inside a planet ring called asteroids in the first place?
- Thread starter CMDR Shinoki
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rootsrat
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With the exception of their contents in which case asteroids are void of any and all debris an asteroid a comet, a meteror and a metorite are all the same thing at different stages of being. And all of which orbit the main star in any system some while orbiting the star do so while orbiting various other objects such as moon's and planets as well as one another. A comet is an asteroid which is in the process of casting off it's debris and illuminated by the star depending on one's perspective as the comet nears the star. Once the debirs is illiminated, it's referred to as an asteroids which can very from little to that of a planetoid such as Pluto has been redefined. Asteroids that enter an atmospher of any type are referred to as meteor's and like their forefather's (comet's) will as the atomospher start to deteriate the object, heat up and seemingly have a tail when in reality, it's meerly a trail. If and when an meteor comes in contact with any object, planet, moon or even them selves, they are referred to as meteorites. Thus they are all the same thing except at different stages. Non-astronomer's often mix and match the definitions from a lack of knowledge. Simular to the way we humans refer to one another as particular speices and or races as well as other catagories, when in reality we are all just like any other biological life form that fits into one of the only three catorgories which makes up the entire known and assumably unknown universe which are Mineral, Vegatable and Animal. We humans have an issue including our selves with what we deem the lower form of Animals, but like it or not, are just that. Meteorites are the same as a comet, as a dog is to a human inso much as they are all in the same basic catagory.
By definition, an asteriod is a small stellar body that orbits around the sun (local star) in a star system. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid)
But in Enot only the bodies inside an asteriod belt are called asteroids, those inside a ring are also using the same term, whereas in reality these are refered to as moonlets or minor satellites.
（https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlet)
Nonsense, they should all be called baboons since they have red bum bums.
a meteorite does not orbit a star its just a peice of space rock hitting the surface of a planet. Where it came from and even if it orbitted a star is not a necessarity of a meteorite. Same for comets, they also include objects that pass a star close enough to get some fancy tail, it having a orbit around sun or not is not a necessarity. Also comets do not necessarily become meteors, or meteorites in future. The only common thing all meteors, asteroids. meteors and meterites have is they are some solid thing flying through space at soem earlir stage of their being. A meteorite was not necessarily a meteor in it's past, a meteor only happens to be if it enters an athmopsphere leaving a trail of light. (shooting star like) But a meteorite or meteor could have been an asteroid, meteroid or comet.
Anything natural flying in space making a trail near sun due to the suns heat is a comet.
Anything natural entering an athmosphere leaving a trail due to athmospheric friction is a meteor
Anything natural hitting the ground is a meteorite.
Asteroid, big thing flying around sun
Meteroid small thing flying aroudn sun.
Asteroids, comets and Meteorides can become meteors or meteorites, dpeneding on their meeting with above criteria.
Meteorodis and asteroids cna become comets if they meet it's critera.
But in no necessarity is a comet going to be a meterite. Nor does it have to have a meteor stage (any planet/moon without athmospehre for example). And most meteors at earth never end up as meteorites as they just dissovle in athmosphere.
And thats why everything is called asteroids in ED, because it would be too confusing for most people.
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