Many meteoroids are formed from the collision of asteroids, which orbit the sun between the paths of Mars and Jupiter in a region called the asteroid belt. As asteroids smash into each other, they produce crumbly debris—meteoroids.

When were meteoroids formed?

Most meteorites are believed to originate in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and were formed early in the history of the Solar System ~4.56 billion years ago.

Who discovered meteoroids?

In 1807, Yale University chemistry professor Benjamin Silliman investigated a meteorite that fell in Weston, Connecticut. Silliman believed the meteor had a cosmic origin, but meteors did not attract much attention from astronomers until the spectacular meteor storm of November 1833.