While visiting the observatory where her mother works, Maria saw a large object with a bright tail, through a high powered telescope. The object looked like a white streak crossing the sky. It was not entering Earth's atmosphere but looked as though it was orbiting Earth. Maria told her mother that she saw a meteor and theorized that it must have come from the asteroid belt and would cause damage when it struck Earth. Was Maria correct in her assessment of the object and its devastating path?

Critique Maria's analysis and create an argument that either supports or disproves her theory.