Comet Photo by NASA
Asteroids/meteoroids have many origins, as will be elaborated upon.
The meteoroids that eventually end up on Earth have been researched and are composed of the following:
- Stones- The most common meteoroid. It's rocky and mostly consists of silicates and oxides.
- Irons- The second most common discovered meteoroid, which consists purely of nickel-iron metal alloys.
- Stony-Irons- Meteoroids
with near-equal amounts of irons and silicates. These are rare, judging
from the ones landing on Earth.
As stated before, meteoroids come from a variety of origins.
Some meteoroids are from larger asteroids that have broken off. The smaller meteoroids that pass by or reach Earth are more common.
The asteroids--often remains of broken-up planets--are mostly found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
However, some are found in the Kuiper Belt, where larger asteroids exist.
Other meteors have origins from comets. The dust trail that is left behind drifts in space and often comes to Earth.
This creates a similar display with break-offs from asteroids.
Most meteor showers are caused by comets when they pass close to Earth, leaving behind a dust trail that often hits the Earth's atmosphere