Jun 6, 2026
A bullet does produce a blast wave, which is fainter because of its reduced kinetic energy relative to a meteor which is 100 times faster (and hence carries 10,000 times more kinetic energy per unit mass). Also, a bullet is artificially made to withstand the heat around it, whereas the material strength of a rock is much smaller so it disintegrates and breaks into small fragments that burn up quickly because of the large surface area per unit mass.
