alt Hacker NewsMeteorites are generally cold when they reach the surface of the earth. The heat of reentry is very brief and generally just on the surface. That's my understanding.
Meteorites are generally cold when they reach the surface of the earth. The heat of reentry is very brief and generally just on the surface. That's my understanding.
The surfaces are typically melted - the ones that don’t just explode anyway.
Icy meteorites never survive re-entry that I’m aware of; and most carbon/chondrite ones don’t either, but they are the most common type that do. They tend to be ‘dry’, however.
Re-entry is a very ‘angry’ process.