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accretion
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the gradual accumulation of mass, as by a planet forming from colliding particles in the solar nebula
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exoplanet
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a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun
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iron meteorite
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a meteorite composed primarily of iron and nickel
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meteor
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a small piece of solid matter that enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up, popularly called a
shooting star
because it is seen as a small flash of light
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meteor shower
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many meteors appearing to radiate from one point in the sky; produced when Earth passes through a cometary dust stream
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meteorite
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a portion of a meteor that survives passage through the atmosphere and strikes the ground
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stony meteorite
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a meteorite composed mostly of stony material, either primitive or differentiated
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stony-iron meteorite
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a type of differentiated meteorite that is a blend of nickel-iron and silicate materials