Meteoriznit

Meteoriznit is a hypothetical astronomical phenomenon. It describes the theoretical fragmentation of a celestial body, such as an asteroid or comet, due to extreme thermal stress encountered as it enters a planet's atmosphere. The term suggests that rapid and intense heating from atmospheric friction and compression would cause the object to break apart into numerous smaller pieces, which then continue their trajectory. This process is distinct from the more common term meteor, which refers to the streak of light produced by a meteoroid burning up in the atmosphere, or meteorite, which is the fragment that survives the passage and lands on the surface.

The concept of meteoriznit emphasizes the explosive disintegration caused by thermal gradients rather than purely mechanical forces. While actual fragmentation of meteoroids does occur, often due to collisions or internal stresses, meteoriznit specifically focuses on the atmospheric entry heating as the primary driver for this breakup. The smaller fragments resulting from meteoriznit would then individually burn up or, if large enough, reach the surface as smaller meteorites. This phenomenon could potentially lead to widespread, scattered impact sites if a significant fragment survives atmospheric entry. The term is not widely used in mainstream scientific literature but serves as a descriptive term for a specific type of atmospheric disintegration.