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| source: www.eumetsat.int |
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In this photo taken with a mobile phone, a meteor contrail is seen in Chelyabinsk region of Russia, Feb. 15, 2013.
/ AP |
A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring more than 500 people, many of them hurt by broken glass.
Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement. About 6,000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory collapsed, but it was unclear whether that was caused by meteor fragments impacting the building, or by a shock wave from a nearby impact.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57569551/meteorites-slam-into-russia-as-meteor-seen-streaking-through-morning-sky/[Wikipedia]
The 2013 Russian meteor event occurred on the morning of 15 February 2013 over South Ural, Russia, at approximately 09:15 local time (03:15UTC).[1][2] At least one object streaked across the early morning sky at a speed of at least 54,000 km/h[3] and shattered over the city ofChelyabinsk. The main object seems to have hit Lake Chebarkul.[4] The Russian news agency RIA Novosti said officials detected a mid-air blast at an approximate altitude of approximately 10,000 metres.[5] The Russian Academy of Sciences estimated that the meteor weighed 10 tons.[6]
Location of the meteor event
Local residents said they witnessed extremely bright burning objects in the sky of the Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, and Orenburg regions and neighbouring regions in Kazakhstan.[7][8] Amateur videos showed what appears to be a fireball streaking across the sky and a loud sonic boom[9]afterward. At times the object was so bright that it cast shadows.[10][11] At least 20 children were injured when the windows of a school and kindergarden burst at 09:20.[12] The Associated Press quoted an interior ministry spokesman as saying that approximately 600 m² of a roof at a zincfactory collapsed during the event.[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_Meteor_shower[2012 DA14]
2012 DA14 is a near-Earth asteroid with an estimated diameter of 50 meters (160 ft) and an estimated mass of 190,000 metric tons.[4] It was discovered on February 23, 2012, by the Observatorio Astronómico de La Sagra, Granada in Spain (J75)[1] seven days after passing 0.0174 AU(2,600,000 km; 1,620,000 mi) from Earth.[3] Calculations show that on February 15, 2013, the distance between the asteroid and the center-point of Earth will be 0.0002276 AU (34,050 km; 21,160 mi).[3] The asteroid will pass 27,700 km (17,200 mi) from the surface of Earth.[2] This is a record close approach for a known object of this size.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14
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