meteorite
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meteorite
A piece of rock or metal from outer space that has passed through Earth's atmosphere and reached the surface of the Earth. It is the solid remnant of a meteor that did not burn up completely.
Forscher haben in der Wüste einen mehrere Kilogramm schweren Meteoriten gefunden.
Researchers found a meteorite weighing several kilograms in the desert.
'Meteorit' (meteorite) is often the first part of compound nouns that refer to the event or consequences of an impact. Typical examples are 'der Meteoriteneinschlag' (meteorite impact) or 'der Meteoritenkrater' (meteorite crater).
Der Meteoriteneinschlag vor 66 Millionen Jahren führte zu einem Massensterben.
The meteorite impact 66 million years ago led to a mass extinction.
When describing the event of the impact, the verbs 'einschlagen' (to strike/impact) or 'niedergehen' (to come down/fall) are used. The location of the impact is often mentioned with a preposition such as 'in' or 'auf' (on).
Vor Tausenden von Jahren ist hier ein großer Meteorit eingeschlagen.
Thousands of years ago, a large meteorite struck here.
In connection with scientific investigation, the verbs 'finden' (to find), 'entdecken' (to discover), 'sammeln' (to collect), or 'analysieren' (to analyze) are often used.
Das Team hat einen seltenen Eisen-Meteoriten in der Antarktis gefunden.
The team found a rare iron meteorite in Antarctica.
comet
'der Komet' and 'der Meteorit' both have to do with outer space, but they mean very different things. A comet is a celestial body that orbits the sun and often shows a tail. A meteorite is a piece of rock or metal from space that has fallen through the atmosphere and reached the ground. They can be confused because both appear to be 'objects from space'. Remember: a comet stays in space on its orbit; a meteorite lies on Earth after it has fallen.
Im Museum liegt ein Meteorit, der vor vielen Jahren in der Wüste gefunden wurde.
There is a meteorite in the museum that was found in the desert many years ago.
Nach der Nachricht sucht Tom am Abend den Kometen am Himmel.
After hearing the news, Tom looks for the comet in the sky in the evening.