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Powerful meteorite explosion in the sky over Chelyabinsk
No comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Nature, Video
Today, at approximately 09:20 local time, there was a powerful explosion in the sky over Chelyabinsk city. According to the officials, it was the result of a meteor rain.
About 1200 people sought medical attention. Most of them were injured by fragments of broken glass. According to NASA, the power of explosion was about 300 kilotons. This is 20 times more than the power of A-bomb that exploded over Hiroshima, Japan during the Second World War.
Eyewitnesses tell of a bright flash, and then the explosion. A bright flash was seen over the entire region, including Ekaterinburg and Tyumen.
Originally eyewitnesses had a lot different versions including a rocket or an aircraft explosion, or even a nuclear explosion, but almost at once it became clear that the cause of the explosion was some kind of object from outer space.
The asteroid entered the atmosphere at a speed of 18 kilometers per second and exploded at an altitude of 19-24 km above the Earth. Diameter of the object was 15 meters, weight – 7000 tons.
The meteorite probably had some gases inside, which led to an explosion when it entered the lower atmosphere. This is a very rare by human standards natural phenomenon. Meteorites of this size fall to Earth about once every 1,500 years.
It should also be noted that today in the vicinity of the Earth (about 27,700 km) there will be another large asteroid known as “2012 DA14” (about 45 meters in diameter).
It is possible that the meteorite that exploded over Chelyabinsk is some way connected with this asteroid because they were flying at a very close distance on a cosmic scale, or it is just a coincidence.
The blast wave. Attention! Offensive language.
People living in the city are still lucky, the scale of destruction could be much higher if the meteorite exploded a little closer to the surface, like the famous Tunguska meteorite that fell and exploded in Siberia in 1908.
In Chelyabinsk region, 2962 buildings were damaged, including more than 360 schools and kindergartens.
The aftermath of meteorite explosion over Chelyabinsk
Tags: Chelyabinsk city
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