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It's Raining Micrometeorites

Science Scope—February 2003

Did you know that whenever you take a walk in the rain, you have a close encounter with extraterrestrial material? Our atmosphere contains small, microscopic bits of matter called micrometeorites. When scientists study these tiny invaders, they use specially equipped aircrafts to collect them directly from the atmosphere, or they may extract a sample from arctic ice or deep-sea sediment (Brownlee and Love 1993). Micrometeorites, however, can also be observed by collecting ordinary rainwater, and that is exactly what eighth grade students do in this inquiry-based activity.
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