However, much larger bodies, such as asteroids and comets, can also strike the earth and become meteorites. Meteorites reach Earth's surface because they are the right size to travel through the atmosphere. If objects from space are too small, they will disintegrate in the atmosphere. If they are too large, they may explode before reaching Earth's surface. Thousands of small meteorites have been found in Antarctica, providing a rich supply of specimens for scientists to study.
Scientists study meteorites for clues to the types of material that formed the planets.
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