Look out.
A burning hot space rock
just fell into your living room,
destroying all the things you care about.
Goodbye, sweet television.
Many rocky objects orbit our Sun.
And depending on their size,
they could either be larger asteroids
or smaller meteoroids.
If an asteroid was headed toward Earth,
it would probably spell big trouble
for you and many others.
Meteoroids, on the other hand,
enter our atmosphere often.
Many burn up upon entry,
becoming meteors.
These just aren’t destined to reach the ground.
But plenty of space rocks do complete
the long, hot journey to the surface.
These are called meteorites.
And it’s estimated that 44,000 kg (48.5 tons) of them
fall to Earth every day.
Hopefully, it won’t keep you up at night,
knowing a meteorite could be headed
toward you this very second.
You are enjoying a quiet night at home,
but things are about to get rocky.
Far above you, a meteoroid has just entered Earth’s atmosphere
at a speed of 10 to 70 km/s (6 to 43 mi/s).
It would slam into the particles in our atmosphere,
rapidly compressing the air in front of it.
This would cause the meteorite to glow and heat up
to temperatures as high as 1,650 °C (3,000 °F).
As the rock fell further and further through our atmosphere,
the outer layers would start to burn off.
Most meteoroids are so small that this burning,
known as ablation, is enough to turn them to dust.
Only about 500 of these fully intact objects
make it to the ground every year.
That’s less than 5% of all incoming meteoroids.
And most end up in the ocean or other unreachable terrains.
But with a one in 840 million chance,
you’ve won the meteorite jackpot.
You’d have a better chance of getting struck by lighting
or bitten by a shark. Or both.
The meteorite would come in at a low angle,
smashing straight through your bedroom window.
You’d wake up to the sound of breaking glass,
shocked to discover a charcoal-grey rock
about the size of your fist snuggled up next to you.
You’d recoil and nearly roll out of bed in total shock.
That’s when you’d finally become aware
of the aching pain in your side.
Lifting your shirt, you’d notice a nice big bruise.
But you’d be amazed that’s all the harm it caused.
Cautiously you’d go to touch it,
assuming the rock is still piping hot from its atmospheric journey.
But you’d be surprised to find that it’s barely warm.
Well, that’s because small, rocky meteorites
are pretty bad at conducting heat.
So as all the outer layers burn away, the core remains cool.
Now confident that you won’t get burned,
you’d pick it up to examine it closer.
It has some heft, and you’d estimate it weighs
somewhere around 4 kg (8.5 lb).
Wow, the damage that could have done to your face.
Suddenly, you’d notice a surprising odor filling up your old house.
And it’s coming from the meteorite.
Well, depending on the composition,
the rock could smell like tar, wet hay or your compost.
One scientist described the strange smell as
similar to the butt end of a cigar
or old dirt in a vacuum cleaner.
Well, now what would you do?
You’d be one of the very few people
unlucky enough to be hit by a meteorite.
A quick internet search would tell you about the Sylacauga meteorite.
In 1954, a woman in Alabama,
Ann Hodges, was struck by a meteorite in her sleep.
And just like you, she miraculously walked away with only a bruised hip.
But wait a second.
This rock that has fallen into your possession could be valuable.
Maybe even a beautiful addition to some jewelry.
You’d take it to get official certification.
And depending on the rarity of its composition,
condition of preservation and aesthetic appeal,
it could be worth between five cents
and $1,000 per gram (0.03 oz).
That would mean your little 4 kg (8.5 lb) rock
could be worth a lot more than a Tesla.
Maybe you did hit the jackpot after all.
OK, well, the jackpot kind of hit you.
But you can thank your lucky space rock
that it wasn’t an asteroid on a collision course with your house.
Because that’s a story
for another WHAT IF.