<p>Wikipedia's entry for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_Shield_Rock" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Heat Shield Rock</a> says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Heat Shield Rock is a basketball-sized iron-nickel <strong>meteorite found on Mars</strong> by the Mars rover Opportunity in January 2005. The meteorite was formally named Meridiani Planum meteorite by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoritical_Society" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Meteoritical Society</a> in October, 2005 (meteorites are always named after the place where they were found)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The Meteorical Society publishes the journal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoritics_%26_Planetary_Science" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Meteoritics &amp; Planetary</strong> Science</a>. "The journal's broad focus is planetary science." </p>

<p>So it seems the words meteoritics and meteorite are in fact used without restriction to Earth.</p>

<p>Literature surrounding the discovery of Egg Rock meteorite on Mars calls it a meteorite:</p>

<ul>
<li>Arizona State University's Red Planet Report website: <a href="http://redplanet.asu.edu/?p=20977" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Curiosity: Egg Rock, a small <strong>meteorite</strong></a></li>
<li>Debora Bird in Earthsky.org: <a href="http://earthsky.org/space/curiosity-meteorite-mars-october-30-2016" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Curiosity Finds Small <strong>Meteorite on Mars</strong></a></li>
<li>Gizmodo: <a href="https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/11/curiosity-just-found-a-freaky-metal-meteorite-on-mars/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Curiosity Just Found</strong> A Freaky Metal <strong>Meteorite On Mars</strong></a></li>
</ul>

<p>Images from <a href="http://earthsky.org/space/curiosity-meteorite-mars-october-30-2016" rel="nofollow noreferrer">EarthSky</a>, credit NASA/JPL/<a href="http://redplanet.asu.edu/?p=20977" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ASU</a>, captions "October 30, 2016 image via Curiosity rover on Mars" (click for larger size):</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7Nuup.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7Nuupm.jpg" alt="&quot;Egg Rock&quot; meteorite on Mars"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/QshE4.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/QshE4m.jpg" alt="&quot;Egg Rock&quot; meteorite on Mars"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gZS9p.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gZS9pm.png" alt="&quot;Egg Rock&quot; meteorite on Mars"></a></p>

<p>Also, there is the meteorite named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_Shield_Rock" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Heat Shield Rock</a>, also on Mars:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Heat Shield Rock is a basketball-sized iron-nickel <strong>meteorite found on Mars</strong> by the Mars rover Opportunity in January 2005. The meteorite was formally named Meridiani Planum meteorite by the Meteoritical Society in October, 2005 (meteorites are always named after the place where they were found)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/p1How.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/p1How.jpg" alt="Heat Shield Rock"></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PIA07269-Mars_Rover_Opportunity-Iron_Meteorite.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a></p>

<hr>

<p>It's not limited to Mars either</p>

<ul>
<li>Earth and Space Science News: <a href="https://eos.org/articles/apollo-may-have-found-an-earth-meteorite-on-the-moon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Apollo May Have Found an Earth <strong>Meteorite on the Moon</strong></a></li>
<li>Science Focus: <a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/how-often-do-large-meteorites-hit-the-moon/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How often do large <strong>meteorites hit the Moon</strong>?</a></li>
<li>Space.com <a href="https://www.space.com/41356-watch-two-meteorites-hit-the-moon.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Watch Two <strong>Meteorites Hit the Moon</strong>!</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-09T08:10:24.310Z
2020-03-25T23:46:10.207Z
2020-03-25T23:46:10.207Z
uhoh
<p>Oxford English Dictionary is an authoritative source, but it's aimed at the <em>general public</em>. I think no astronomer will frown upon you when you're using the terms meteoroid and meteorite to describe a small body impacting another body in the solar system. As an example, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia</a> doesn't impose the limitation that it must hit Earth:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-09T06:23:44.273Z
2019-05-09T06:23:44.273Z
Glorfindel
<p>A meteorite according to the Oxford English Dictionary is</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A piece of rock or metal that has fallen to the earth's surface from outer space as a meteor.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But, meteors impact other planets.  Are they still meteorites?  Or is there another word for them.  And, if they are still called meteorites, what is the threshold for an object to be impacted upon by a meteor or meteoroid in this case, and still have the meteoroid be called a meteorite.  Are meteoroids impacting Pluto or Pallas meteorites?</p>

<p>We expect the OED to be authoritative so I am just curious if they have let us down or if the clever space brains have a taxonomy to differentiate them.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-09T13:31:41.200Z
The OED is an authoritative description of *how people are actually using the language* - they do not define what the language is, they just observe.
Martin Bonner supports Monica
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-09T17:57:21.953Z
@MartinBonner that may be a distinction without a difference.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-09T22:27:25.277Z
Small addition to the answers: A "martian meteorite" is a meteorite that hit Earth and came originally from Mars. This subtlety is also no caught in the "authoritative" OED definition.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-10T12:30:58.183Z
@MartinBonner True, of course. But whether you (correctly) believe that the OED tells us how people use the word "meteorite" or (incorrectly) believe that the OED tells us how we are allowed to use it, the question still stands.
David Richerby
<terminology><meteorite><meteoroid>
What is the name of meteoroids which hit Moon, Mars, or pretty much anything that isn’t the Earth?
EDL
# What is the name of meteoroids which hit Moon, Mars, or pretty much anything that isn’t the Earth?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-05-09)

A meteorite according to the Oxford English Dictionary is

> A piece of rock or metal that has fallen to the earth's surface from outer space as a meteor.

But, meteors impact other planets. Are they still meteorites? Or is there another word for them. And, if they are still called meteorites, what is the threshold for an object to be impacted upon by a meteor or meteoroid in this case, and still have the meteoroid be called a meteorite. Are meteoroids impacting Pluto or Pallas meteorites?

We expect the OED to be authoritative so I am just curious if they have let us down or if the clever space brains have a taxonomy to differentiate them.

**Tags:** terminology, meteorite, meteoroid

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The OED is an authoritative description of *how people are actually using the language* - they do not define what the language is, they just observe.  
> **username_2**: @MartinBonner that may be a distinction without a difference.  
> **username_3**: Small addition to the answers: A "martian meteorite" is a meteorite that hit Earth and came originally from Mars. This subtlety is also no caught in the "authoritative" OED definition.  
> **username_4**: @MartinBonner True, of course. But whether you (correctly) believe that the OED tells us how people use the word "meteorite" or (incorrectly) believe that the OED tells us how we are allowed to use it, the question still stands.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-05-09. Score: 19 | Accepted answer

Oxford English Dictionary is an authoritative source, but it's aimed at the *general public*. I think no astronomer will frown upon you when you're using the terms meteoroid and meteorite to describe a small body impacting another body in the solar system. As an example, [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite) doesn't impose the limitation that it must hit Earth:

> A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-05-09. Score: 14

Wikipedia's entry for [Heat Shield Rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_Shield_Rock) says:

> Heat Shield Rock is a basketball-sized iron-nickel **meteorite found on Mars** by the Mars rover Opportunity in January 2005. The meteorite was formally named Meridiani Planum meteorite by the [Meteoritical Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoritical_Society) in October, 2005 (meteorites are always named after the place where they were found)

The Meteorical Society publishes the journal [**Meteoritics & Planetary** Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoritics_%26_Planetary_Science). "The journal's broad focus is planetary science."

So it seems the words meteoritics and meteorite are in fact used without restriction to Earth.

Literature surrounding the discovery of Egg Rock meteorite on Mars calls it a meteorite:

* Arizona State University's Red Planet Report website: [Curiosity: Egg Rock, a small **meteorite**](http://redplanet.asu.edu/?p=20977)
* Debora Bird in Earthsky.org: [Curiosity Finds Small **Meteorite on Mars**](http://earthsky.org/space/curiosity-meteorite-mars-october-30-2016)
* Gizmodo: [**Curiosity Just Found** A Freaky Metal **Meteorite On Mars**](https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/11/curiosity-just-found-a-freaky-metal-meteorite-on-mars/)

Images from [EarthSky](http://earthsky.org/space/curiosity-meteorite-mars-october-30-2016), credit NASA/JPL/[ASU](http://redplanet.asu.edu/?p=20977), captions "October 30, 2016 image via Curiosity rover on Mars" (click for larger size):

[![](https://i.sstatic.net/7Nuupm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/7Nuup.jpg) [![](https://i.sstatic.net/QshE4m.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/QshE4.jpg) [![](https://i.sstatic.net/gZS9pm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/gZS9p.png)

Also, there is the meteorite named [Heat Shield Rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_Shield_Rock), also on Mars:

> Heat Shield Rock is a basketball-sized iron-nickel **meteorite found on Mars** by the Mars rover Opportunity in January 2005. The meteorite was formally named Meridiani Planum meteorite by the Meteoritical Society in October, 2005 (meteorites are always named after the place where they were found)

[![Heat Shield Rock](https://i.sstatic.net/p1How.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/p1How.jpg) [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PIA07269-Mars_Rover_Opportunity-Iron_Meteorite.jpg)

---

It's not limited to Mars either

* Earth and Space Science News: [Apollo May Have Found an Earth **Meteorite on the Moon**](https://eos.org/articles/apollo-may-have-found-an-earth-meteorite-on-the-moon)
* Science Focus: [How often do large **meteorites hit the Moon**?](https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/how-often-do-large-meteorites-hit-the-moon/)
* Space.com [Watch Two **Meteorites Hit the Moon**!](https://www.space.com/41356-watch-two-meteorites-hit-the-moon.html)


---

