Meteor explodes over Russian city
Posted: Fri, Feb 15, 2013, 7:38 PM ET (0038 GMT)
A small asteroid entered the Earth's atmosphere and burst over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk Friday morning, injuring more than 1,000 people and damaging some buildings. The meteor burst at an altitude of 20 to 25 kilometers above the ground at about 10:25 pm EST Thursday (0325 GMT, 9:25 am local time), not far from Chelyabinsk. The blast wave shattered windows and caused other damage to buildings in the city; most of the reported injuries were minor, and no deaths were reported. Scientists believe the meteor was a small stony asteroid, about 15 meters in diameter and weighing about 7,000 tons. The burst had the energy of 300 to perhaps as much as 500 kilotons of TNT. While the burst took place about 16 hours before a slightly larger asteroid, 2012 DA14, passed close to the Earth, scientists said the two events were not related, as the Chelyabinsk meteor entered from a different direction and at a higher velocity. The small object evaded detection because it came in from the direction of the Sun, and thus out of view from telescopes.
A small asteroid entered the Earth's atmosphere and burst over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk Friday morning, injuring more than 1,000 people and damaging some buildings. The meteor burst at an altitude of 20 to 25 kilometers above the ground at about 10:25 pm EST Thursday (0325 GMT, 9:25 am local time), not far from Chelyabinsk. The blast wave shattered windows and caused other damage to buildings in the city; most of the reported injuries were minor, and no deaths were reported. Scientists believe the meteor was a small stony asteroid, about 15 meters in diameter and weighing about 7,000 tons. The burst had the energy of 300 to perhaps as much as 500 kilotons of TNT. While the burst took place about 16 hours before a slightly larger asteroid, 2012 DA14, passed close to the Earth, scientists said the two events were not related, as the Chelyabinsk meteor entered from a different direction and at a higher velocity. The small object evaded detection because it came in from the direction of the Sun, and thus out of view from telescopes.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Monday, September 28
An endangered wild cat faces a new threat: SpaceX’s expansion in Texas
NBCNews.com — 4:43 am ET (0843 GMT) FAA Clears SpaceX For Starship 14 Flight
Aviation Week — 4:41 am ET (0841 GMT) SpaceX sends Starship into orbit
The Economist — 4:40 am ET (0840 GMT) SpaceX prepares to send Starship rocket to orbit for first time
CNBC — 4:40 am ET (0840 GMT) Orbital Shift: India's space sector undergoing biggest transformation
The Economic Times (India) — 4:38 am ET (0838 GMT) |
