Citizens of the peninsula gathered on the beach of Punta Carnero, in Santa Elena, due to a warning about the alleged fall of a meteorite, on the night of Tuesday the 19th. What is a meteorite?

a meteorite is a material or fragment of a body from space that can enter the atmosphere at high speed and fall to Earth.

According to the specialized magazine Argos, meteorites are small bodies in the solar system that do not completely disintegrate when they enter the atmosphere. These normally come from the asteroid circle between Mars and Jupiter, although others come from the moon and Mars.

A possible meteorite fell into a New Jersey home. Photo: Hopewell Township Police Department

For its part, the term meteor comes from Greek “meteors”, which means phenomenon in the sky.

There are 3 main groups of meteorites, which are classified based on their composition. In this way it is possible to distinguish between metallic meteorites, rocky meteorites and metallic-rocky or mixed meteorites. (JO)