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Subscribe to RSSTraveling at 33,000 mph, a massive meteor hit the Earth's atmosphere creating a giant shockwave that blew out windows of glass, injuring nearly 1,000 people and creating panic. On the same day, an asteroid half the size of a football field came within 17,000 miles from Earth. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
By Miriam Kramer, SPACE.com
The fireball that exploded over Russia Friday morning provided onlookers with an incredible spectacle, even outshining the sun for a brief period, scientists say.
The meteor exploded just above the city of Chelyabinsk just before 9:30 a.m. local time, damaging hundreds of buildings and injuring more than 1,000 people. The blast probably released about 300 kilotons of energy, sending out a powerful shock wave and lighting up the daytime sky, researchers said.
"This event must have been brighter than the sun, if you were there to watch it," Paul Chodas, a scientist with the Near Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters today. "It's just incredible."
The object that caused the Russian meteor was probably about 50 feet (15 meters) wide and weighed approximately 7,000 tons, said Bill Cooke of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. [See Photos of the Meteor Streaking over Russia]
This space rock exploded 12 to 15 miles (19 to 24 kilometers) above Earth's surface, releasing roughly 15 times as much energy as the atomic bomb the United States dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II.
The resulting blast shattered windows and knocked down walls, according to media reports.
Dr. Paul Chodas at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory discussed the asteroid that flew by Earth and the fireball that struck Russia. Choda called it "a huge coincidence."
"When you hear about injuries, those are undoubtedly due to the shockwave," Cooke said.
The fireball hit Earth's atmosphere at about 40,000 mph (64,374 kph) and left a trail 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in the sky, he added.
Although the explosion did shoot fragments of the rock toward the ground, there have been no confirmed reports of recovered pieces of the space rock, Cooke said.
Scientists have a particularly difficult time tracking small asteroids like the one that exploded earlier today because they are so small and dim. The Russian meteor was particularly difficult to spot because it came from the daylight side of the planet. Telescopes can only detect meteors in the dark, Cooke said.
Space rocks like the Russian fireball hit the Earth once every 50 to 100 years, he added.
Most asteroids are loose masses of rock, and NASA experts think this meteor probably fit that description. As the fireball entered the atmosphere, it started to break apart and eventually exploded when the heat generated by its dramatic plunge toward the Earth's surface became too great.
AFP
This video still image shows the smoke trail created by the meteor that exploded over the Chelyabinsk region of Russia on Feb. 15, 2013.
This is the most powerful meteor explosion of its kind since the Tunguska Event 1908, researchers said. The meteor that exploded that year over the Tunguska region of Russia's Siberia was probably 130 feet (40 m) in diameter and flattened 825 square miles (2,137 square km) of forest.
A meteor similar to today's fireball exploded in the air over Indonesia in 2009, but it didn't cause nearly this amount of damage. This most recent meteor explosion was probably four to five times more powerful than the 2009 event, Cooke said.
By coincidence, the Russian fireball exploded on the same day that the 150-foot-wide (45 m) asteroid 2012 DA14 cruised within 17,200 miles (27,000 km) of Earth. 2012 DA14's flyby was the closest by such a large asteroid that scientists have ever known about in advance. The two space rocks that made big news today are completely separate bodies, Cooke and Chodas stressed.
Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter @mirikramer or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- Huge Russian Meteor Blast is Biggest Since 1908 (Infographic)
- Russian Meteor Track and Detonation Seen From Space | Video
- Russian Meteor Strike Injures Hundreds | Video
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WOW! Close call huh? Think this thing was in a gravity tow by the other one today? They say no but......?
They were going in opposite directions!!!!
Yeah, the equivalent of a nerd looking in one direction and about to be creamed in the back of the head by a giant spit ball.
That damn G. W. Bush! Its his fault...
GWB wasn't smart enough to know what a meteor is
The 150-foot-wide (45 m) asteroid 2012 DA14 was detected only one year ago which would have been too late for any action if it had been on a collision course with Earth.
Why does the universe keeping taking shots at Russia?
i saw the robot bursting rocks on mars they have to fall some where think iam smart
No. They were moving in completely opposite directions. A scientist on NPR explained that orbital physics precludes the asteroid and this being part of the same event. Heck of a coincidence though!
Yes but the gravity was pulling them together creating one big cosmic figure 8 through space... I'm kidding
One was also moving at twice the speed of the other. Pure coincidence.
15 times the energy of the USA's mass murder bombings of Japan? The USA better put economic and military sanctions on God to limit the nuclear energy threat posed by God or whomever is responsible for the proliferation of nuclear energy devices from space.
What a dumb thing to say, and I was hoping all the other comments were going to be as intelligent as the first couple but then the dumbasses crawled out. :(
Idiot. Without those bombs the mass murders of the Japanese empire would've continued. Don't want to get kicked in the face? Don't start a fight with the whole house. Japan had it coming. Now they are a valued members of world society. Knock a bully out and watch how fast he becomes your friend.
He's right you know, Japan started the war and before the bombs were dropped they were training women and children to fight with whatever they could find.
Whoopsie! Um, you dropped yer morals dude.
Funny that you say that Michael Sokolowski, Timothy McVeigh said the EXACT same thing before he bomb the federal building in Oklahoma City...
Intentionally targeting non-combatants was a war crime, but prosecutions of such things are limited to winners trying losers. Japan was fishing around for surrender terms. We wanted to use those bombs, partly to vindicate the scientific principles involved, partly to spook Japan and win the war, but also to show the USSR not only that we had nukes but would USE them.
Recall that the reason we developed them was because Germany was reportedly trying to make them.... and they were. Our program to build the bombs should have shut down upon Germany's surrender in April 1945, but like any govt program, it continued.
A more recent justification for another govt program: If there are no weapons of mass destruction, we did it to rid the world of a tyrant.
God protected us once again.
Yep. He flipped that big ol' coin he carries in his back pocket and said, "Darn, maybe next time". Or, maybe he's watching the slow death due to climate change. That'll get us too. Flood Part II anyone?
No hes watching this country die from Tepublican stupidity
I want to know why there were two parallel trails as it streaked in.
"The meteor exploded.,.". There were a whole lot more than two trails.
Wow I don't even know what to say to this. You obviously have no knowledge of how objects enter our Earths atmosphere. Double flume is caused when the falling rock breaks up due to the friction of our atmosphere and so one rock becomes multiple smaller rocks and one of the pieces that broke off was still big enough to create a visible tail. (This happens a lot) Plus why would a weapon have a double flume? (Please don't waste time answering that question). Hahaha also the reason the rock didn't travel towards Earth is due to a game of tug of war between the speed, direction, mass of the falling object and the Earth's gravity. When an object enters the atmosphere the Earth's gravity doesn't just stop the direction of the object and bring it straight down. The Earth is not a black hole. Hahaha you are truly reaching for the stars. Sorry if I was mean to you and you were just wondering why this happens with objects entering the atmosphere, but if your try to say there's something more to this then your dumb and I don't feel bad for giving you a hard time.
Harson Grandular,
I know a lot about physics in general as well the physics of objects entering at high velocity into the atmosphere from space and was merely was asking a simple question.
I realize the twin trails were likely caused by a fracture of the main piece. I was just surprised at the similarity in size for the length of time during the entry. I was harboring no thoughts that it might be a weapon or something or something equally nonsensical. I think you need to relax a bit, you sound hysterical in your reply to me.
Outdid Hollywood.
Sorry to know lots of people got hurt, but with an awesome power like this is great that no one got killed! Nature power is much stronger than anything we can manage.
Out of the wreck and panic it created, some warmth on the frozen Siberian winter :)
Second to the last sign of the "rapture" of the Church of Jesus Christ Before the Tribulation period begins..."Cosmic disturbances" : Revelation 6:12-17. Which coincide to what Jesus had said in: Matthew 24:22-31. The Great Apostasy of the Church has been happening and The last sign will be the revealing of the antichrist: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Get ready Church and get right with God! For He is coming for a people who are ready: Matthew 25:1-13; Mark 13; Revelation 2:8-11; 3:1-13
This is funny stuff. A book about the Jewish religion becomes adopted by Europeans, thanks to ancient Roman caesars and jolly old England and King Henry VIII, can be interpreted in a million variations, and naturally, applies to asteroids and meteors. I love it.
Allow me to translate: Bad stuff is eventually going to happen.
Your imaginary friend has nothing to do with it.
Thats funny, because in my book of Clown Religion it says that fools will go around spouting nonsense and ignorant, superstitious beliefs and think things like earthquakes and meteors are messages from Jesus LoL
To Forest Runner: Sure...The Measage of the cross of Jesus Christ is foolishness to those who are parishing, but to us who are being saved (from the wrath of God) it is the power of God, for it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." (as promised). And I marvel of those who are willing to gamble thier soul on assumtions. I fear that you are saddly mistaken and when you will realize that, it will be one Hell of a suprise on that day. I hope you do not continue down that broad way that leads to destruction that so many travel upon. Because those who do are so sure of themselves...pride goes before a fall.
Im a christian and even I will tell you Mr.Steve that this has nothing to do with end times or scripture. Your over dramatizing this. Get a grip and just pray it didnt land on your house.
Reminds me of the movie DEEP IMPACT which of course most Americans state "That could NEVER Happen to Us"
The Russian People probably have a different opinion on that issue.
A monster size meteor hitting the Earth at 30,000 miles per hour !
Now that's a Bend Over & Kiss Your Azz GoodBye event. SPW in Alaska
I am really surprised that there hasn't been many more than just a few the scientists have tracked. With ALL the junk in our space atmosphere that is ALL MAN MADE,(other than what the Lord made, stars,moon,sun & the planets) it is a wonder that there isn't more that has come to earth. But I have to say AMEN to what Mr. Binkie said, "God saved us again."
God didn't save sh!t.
Yes he did, you are alive to type your random BS.
go scare a goat.
Go back to bed Jared. Mommy will be in to tuck you in in a minute.
The Mayans predicted all of this. A famous Mayan saying goes like this, "There is no gravity, the Earth sucks. But it will really suck in 2013."
I think I would of sh-it my pants if I saw that thing coming at me.
This little chunk of rock exploded with more power then that of the bomb on Hiroshima?
J-H-C.....can you imagine if the big one ever hit us or even exploded over the sky like this one did?
You could kiss your a$$ good bye.
No Hollywood movie could make something look as bad as what the real thing could do.
And you can bet because of this event, the Hollywood movie factory is already working on it this very minute.
You'll start seeing trailers for asteroid destruction movies faster n' you can say whatthehellisthat!!!
Pretty sure they've already done this. Comets and meteors and asteroids.
The movie was called the "Whizzer of Oz". Comets, meteors and asteroids, oh my!
I wonder if there are MORE SURPRISES headed our way as i speak ??!!!
Of course there are. We get hit by tonnes of "Surprise" stuff all the time
funny this article now reads "brighter than the sun" because initially before I read the new headline I thought this was just a picture of the Sun itself. Where are the remains? Where's the impact crater? I noticed they showed one picture of the supposed landing and it was a melted hole in the ice, there's no way in hell it was 50ft wide tho, not by a one shot. And if it was as big and weighed as much as they said, it would've melted the entire damn lake. I swear I'm really beginning to think some of these stories are just elaborate fabrications to get viewers and support an agenda. Such as the brazil fire that killed 200 due to fireworks. We weren't able to celebrate the fourth due to the risk of forest fires...that's a hell of a tradition to break isn't it? Our own independence day. And if it were true, my heart goes out to the victims and families, but if over 1,000 ppl were trapped, how the hell couldn't they not form a chain out the way they came? Even in black smoke you should be able to find ur way out of a club, unless it was a maze or the entrance was blocked. And now if there's anything approaching Earth, this will be the boost to push funding for more "space watch" programs to watch over us...I could be wrong, but don't always think officials are looking out for your best interest ppl.
They estimated it was 50 feet wide when it first entered the atmosphere... BEFORE it exploded. What hit the lake was one of the leftover fragments... not the whole thing.
When I saw the different shots of this from multiple sources on the news feeds, some of them flared enough to black out the camera. I know that the experts stated that this meteor was not connected with the asteroid flyby but who knows, they didn't track this, it came in unexpected. Ahhh...the Russians have all the fun, first Tunguska and now this. The Texans and Floridians crave excitement like this.
Bill the asteroids came in from opposite directions and one was twice the speed of the other, they are not connected
Won't you be so glad when a asteroid 50 miles across traveling 70,000 mph (19.4444) miles per second hit's the earth and terminats your sorry A— — once and for all....i know i will....maybe you'll be at ground zero taking a crap when it hits.....holy mother of pearl!!
I wanna be loaded, smoking a fat joint when the next meteor hits. If it hits a Tea Bagger stronghold I'll know that God truly hates 'em.
My father firing warning shots across your bow.
the end of time is upon us what will you do ??? what will you do ???
When it's the end of time everyone is going to die, that's what they are going to do. It's not the end of time you dummy. Are you practicing the religion of the dirty stinking arabs that lived in the desert 2,000 years ago? Where else would you get such superstitious and ignorant beliefs.
Maybe he's outta spices and meant, "the end of thyme is here, damn, no basil either". Really? Dirty stinking Arabs? They were calculating the heavens when your smelly European ancestors were still screwing oxen, dumping crap in the streets and killing astonomers as heretics. Seems the Dark Ages are here again.
The beginning of "the end of time" is upon each and every one of us when we are born. The only people who know with even some proximity when their "end of time" really will be are those with some type of infirmity where a doctor can make an estimate of possible time left and even then it is not set in stone. Just enjoy every day as if it were your last because one day you will be right.
So much for the theory that scientists can predict these collisions and "protect" us from them. Just when you thought you were safe . . . BAM !
Safe? Yep. Our scientists can make the Earth shift orbit to avoid collisions. Safe.
I have yet to read a single article where scientists say they can predict every "collision" or that they have any method of protecting us. Fact is that prediction and protection from this sort of thing are both barely in their infancy and in need of far more funding and research. Perhaps you should do a lot more research yourself before posting your ill-informed thoughts.
We have found and are tracking 670,000 asteroids, which sounds impressive until you hear that is (we estimate) ~1% of the total free-flying rocks in our Solar System.
Not too long ago we crossed the 100,000 asteroids detected threshold, so we're making steady progress, but as Freefaller points out NO ONE working in this field has made the claims that disavowed places upon us.
As dbk227ADND posted yesterday; "Remember THIS line from Armageddon?"
Next will be the stern.
Jesus said that he will spit the eastern sky wide open and that jesus will come in the clouds of glory .and every eye shall see him before that day come as a theif in the night make sure that your lamps are burning brite ......................................................
He said that? You heard him? Or is that one of the varied interpretations written by one of the other single guys he hung out with?
This space rock exploded 12 to 15 miles (19 to 24 kilometers) above Earth's surface, releasing roughly 15 times as much energy as the atomic bomb the United States dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II. HMMMMMMM What would is had done at 1 mile??
Ripped a few more Russian asses I'd imagine.
And what would it have done if it hit the ground in one piece?
In last December, Russia has found a lot of diamond; now they got meteor; then later one, they may find some diamond again.
The one big one that made the hole in the lake is worth some big money
Looks like Jesus exploded in the sky upon return.
I gotta imagine that Jesus exploding would be a whole lot more ickier and messy.