micrometeorite

noun mi·cro·me·te·or·ite \ ˌmī-krō-ˈmē-tē-ə-ˌrīt \

Definition of micrometeorite

1 : a meteorite so small that it can pass through the earth's atmosphere without becoming intensely heated

2 : a very small particle in interplanetary space

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micrometeoritic

play \-ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈri-tik\ adjective

See micrometeorite defined for kids

Recent Examples of micrometeorite from the Web

On top of that, there are micrometeorites that come in on the moon.

— sydney pereira, Newsweek, "Life on the Moon: NASA Technologist Describes Our Future Lunar Colony," 16 Dec. 2017
To investigate the rocky space rain, Heck and his colleagues collected samples of micrometeorites more than 466 million years old from rock formations in the St. Petersburg region of Russia.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Ancient Asteroid Collision Is Still Raining Space Rocks Down on Earth," 25 Jan. 2017
The hollow could provide stable temperature conditions and protection from micrometeorites and cosmic ray radiation, Junichi Haruyama, a senior JAXA researcher, tells McCurry.

— rachel riederer, Smithsonian, "Out-of-This-World Facts for International Observe the Moon Night," 28 Oct. 2017
The not-so-great balls of fire—now the oldest micrometeorites ever found—started out as hunks of mostly iron and nickel.

— National Geographic, "World’s Oldest Space Pebbles Found in Australia," 11 May 2016
The not-so-great balls of fire—now the oldest micrometeorites ever found—started out as hunks of mostly iron and nickel.

— andrew tomkins, National Geographic, "World’s Oldest Space Pebbles Found in Australia," 11 May 2016
Its main job is to keep the craft from being punctured by micrometeorites like an expensive balloon.

— vince beiser, WIRED, "Hotel Biz Zillionaire’s Next Venture? Inflatable Space Pods.," 23 Oct. 2007
To investigate the rocky space rain, Heck and his colleagues collected samples of micrometeorites more than 466 million years old from rock formations in the St. Petersburg region of Russia.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Ancient Asteroid Collision Is Still Raining Space Rocks Down on Earth," 25 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'micrometeorite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.