Meteoroids mostly come from the asteroid belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter, where collisions among asteroids produce many small fragments. About 70% of all known meteorites originate from just three young asteroid families in this belt, created by collisions 5.8, 7.5, and about 40 million years ago. Some meteorites also come from the Moon and Mars, blasted off their surfaces by impacts. Additionally, a smaller number may originate from comets, which are made of dust, rock, and ice from the outer solar system. These fragments travel through space until some collide with Earth, becoming meteoroids and sometimes meteorites when they reach the surface.

Origin Details

• Most meteoroids are debris from asteroid collisions in the main asteroid belt.
• Young asteroid families produce abundant small fragments that can escape the belt and reach Earth.
• Meteorites from the Moon and Mars are pieces ejected by impacts on those bodies.
• Comets contribute dust and small particles when they approach the Sun, releasing debris.

Thus, the main sources of meteoroids are fragments of asteroids, with contributions from planetary surfaces and cometary debris.