Quote:
Originally Posted by GOURDHEAD
When one describes an asteroid a being "Texas-sized", are they talking about a cone with a Texas shaped cross section and apex at the center of the Earth with a base the size of the surface of Texas?
|
I'd never expect that. Too complicated. When that kind of size is mentioned, I usually picture a sphere, with a diameter equal to the rough diameter of Texas -- something that would punch a Texas-sized hole in my ticket.
From
SpaceRef.com: Ceres: A Texas-Sized Space Rock
Quote:
|
The Texas-sized asteroid Ceres, about 930 kilometers (580 miles) across, was the first asteroid ever detected.
|
===
Oh, I don't think anyone addressed the title sub-question directly:
Quote:
|
[...] meteroite (Do I have the right term?)
|
A
meteorite is a meteor that landed, and is a kind of rock, like so many other
-ite rocks and minerals. A
meteor is the rock streaking through the atmosphere. A
meteoroid is the rock in space that could become a meteor.