Comets and asteroids · Planets
Tektite
Say it: TEK-tyte IPA: /ˈtɛktaɪt/ noun
Tektite: Natural glass made from terrestrial material melted and ejected during an impact.
An incoming object can melt target rocks on Earth and throw droplets away from the impact site. Those droplets cool into glassy pieces called tektites.
- Example
- The tektite was impact-made glass rather than a fragment of the incoming asteroid.
- Why astronomers use it
- Tektites preserve evidence of impacts and the material affected by them.
- Tiny cosmic connection
- Although connected with impacts from space, tektites are made from Earth material and are not meteorites.
Observatory Comets and asteroids Planets
Where to check it
Written for Cool Moon Facts in its own words; the sources cover the same idea in more depth.