Most meteors vaporize by compressing air until it becomes hotter than the sun
Most meteors never reach the ground because they compress the air in front of them so intensely that it reaches temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun, causing them to vaporize.
When a meteor enters Earth's atmosphere at speeds up to 72,000 kilometers per hour, it doesn't just burn from friction. Instead, it creates a massive shock wave that compresses the air ahead of it, causing the temperature to skyrocket between 3,000 and 10,000 degrees Celsius. This intense heat creates a glowing plasma sheath that can shine as brightly as the sun.
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