Looking for Meteoritics (Meteor experts) need you help

Hey guys!, i wasn't really sure where to post this so im sorry if i posted it in the wrong section.

I'm looking for some advice from a Meteoritic (Or someone who studies Meteors). I know the difference between a meteor and a meteorite. I also know that meteors break up in the atmosphere and that meteorites don't.

I basically just need someone to tell me how many meteorites hit the earth each year or each day. And if at all possible is it possible know exactly where they will land?

I know its almost impossible to know how many hit the earth each year/day but even an estimate would be nice. I have searched on Google for an answer but all i seem to find if estimates that range from 0-10000 so its kind of hard to determine a real one. Just knowing that ill get an answer from someone from ATS makes me feel better.

This depends on the factors involved. Are we going through a rich meteorite patch of space, some meteors wont break up in space but will collide, see meteor craters.

reply to post by TheMindWar


im not sure. This stuff is all new to me. I will check out meteor craters but i just need to know how many full sized meteors (Ones that don't break apart) hit the earth each year/day. Even an estimate will do

Millions.

Most is sand size and smaller

Go up on the roof of your home with a strong magnet and you will find some of the meteor sand.

Do it on a day when your neighbor are not home or they may start stories about there strange neighbor.

This is sort of a kids page from NASA but it might give you the answers you seek.

Meteoroids burn up in the atmosphere and fall to the Earth as dust. Every day, approximately 3000 metric tons of dusty space material falls to Earth. The Willamette meteorite If the meteor does not burn up completely, the remaining portion hits the Earth and is then called a meteorite. Over 100 meteorites hit the Earth each year.

source: starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov...

How frequently do meteorite falls occur?

Our best estimates of the total incoming meteoroid flux indicate that about 10 to 50 meteorite dropping events occur over the earth each day. It should be remembered, however, that 2/3 of these events will occur over ocean, while another 1/4 or so will occur over very uninhabited land areas, leaving only about 2 to 12 events each day with the potential for discovery by people. Half of these again occur on the night side of the earth, with even less chance of being noticed. Due to the combination of all of these factors, only a handful of witnessed meteorite falls occur Each year.

As an order of magnitude estimation, each square kilometer of the earth’s surface should collect 1 meteorite fall about once every 50,000 years, on the average. If this area is increased to 1 square mile, this time period becomes about 20,000 years between falls.

Source: The American Meteor Society

The International Meteor Organization is also a good source for related info such as this page:
Annual and diurnal variations in fireball rates

Another good source of papers can be found if you try a google domain search at: adsabs.harvard.edu

Edit to add: Regarding your other question...

Originally posted by ckrules
And if at all possible is it possible know exactly where they will land?

If the orbit is well known, then yes it is possible, as demonstrated by the Sudan meteorite to have a rough idea where meteorites will be found, but this is rare since with current technology small objects which hit earth regularly enough are hard to detect. Asteroid 2008 TC3 is a one off case at this time.

Meteorites can also be tracked down if the meteor is photographed or if enough accurate reports are made by witnesses. It helps if the witnesses or cameras are spread geographically apart by many km. Then the object can be triangulated or a trajectory worked out in some cases. Whether meteorites are actually found or not will also depend on how difficult the terrain is.

Hope that helps, and impressed to come across someone on here who knows what a meteoriticist does

Thanks guys. This really helped me alot.