Theresa Downing, age 34, of Burlington, Vermont, for her questions

What is a meteorite made of ?

Once in a while a meteor survives the scorching trip through our atmosphere and lands with a thud upon the ground. Such a meteor immediately becomes a meteorite. Most meteorites are mistaken for stones or left to spend centuries among earth's pebbles. A few are spotted by experts and find themselves in museums and cherished collections,

The outside of a meteorite may be shiny black. This coating is hard material which fused in the scorching friction through the atmosphere. These meteorites rare generally made up of nickel and iron alloys, Other meteorites look like hard, brownish stokes, They are composed of stony materials.

Altogether some thirty different elements have been discovered in meteorites, though each meteorite is composed of either stony or metallic substances,