The time it takes for an object traveling at near-light speeds, such as a meteorite, to reach Earth's atmosphere or surface can be calculated based on the distance between the object and Earth and the speed at which it is traveling.
Let's assume that the object is moving at a speed very close to the speed of light, but not quite reaching it. For the sake of calculation, we'll consider a speed of 99.9% of the speed of light, which is about 299,792,158 meters per second.
Now, let's suppose the meteorite is located at a distance of 1 light-year away from Earth, which is approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers or 5.879 trillion miles.
To calculate the time it takes for the meteorite to reach Earth, we can divide the distance by the speed:
Time = Distance / Speed
Using the values mentioned above:
Time = 1 light-year / 0.999c
where "c" represents the speed of light.
Calculating this, we find:
Time ≈ 1.001 light-years / (299,792,458 m/s * 0.999)
This calculation yields a time of approximately 1.001 years. Keep in mind that this is a rough estimate, and it assumes a constant speed over the entire journey.
However, it's important to note that objects, such as meteorites, cannot realistically reach speeds close to the speed of light in our current understanding of physics. Approaching the speed of light would require tremendous energy and encounter significant relativistic effects. In practice, meteorites entering Earth's atmosphere typically have velocities significantly lower than the speed of light.