Extraterrestrial objects are constantly bombarding Earth; thankfully the vast majority are microscopic.
Thanks to the planet’s atmosphere, we live largely unaware of this celestial fusillade, which averages about 100 tons a day and mostly burns up long before hitting the ground. From the few that do make impact, researchers can gather clues about the composition of our solar system, with the goal of understanding how planets and other bodies emerged from an embryonic disk of dust and gas