Meteor streaked through the skies above Russia

[ChosenOne]

 

• NEW: About 1,000 people have reported injuries, state news agency reports
• Meteor strike and Friday's asteroid flyby are unrelated, a NASA spokesman says
• A meteoroid entered the atmosphere and shattered into fragments, scientists say
• A bright white flash appeared in the sky for a few seconds, followed by a heavy bang

Moscow (CNN) -- A meteor streaked through the skies

above Russia's Urals region Friday morning, before exploding with a

flash and boom that shattered glass in buildings and left about 1,000

people hurt, state media said.

The number of injured has continued to rise through the day as new reports come in from across a swath of central Russia.

As of late afternoon

local time, the Interior Ministry said about 1,000 people had been hurt,

including more than 200 children, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency

said.

Most of those hurt are in

the Chelyabinsk region, the news agency said. The vast majority of

injuries are not thought to be serious.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/world/europe/russia-meteor-shower/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

 

[The Regime]

I read somewhere that the closest this asteroid would be able to get to earth is 17,000 miles. So nothing really to panic about, but it's pretty damn amazing.

[Real Deal]

Here are the crazy videos.  One or two get pretty loud, so don't have your headphones on with the volume really high.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0cRHsApzt8

 

Glass shatters here...

 

 

This one probably won't parse, so you'll have to click on the link.

 

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a98_1360908156

[Real Deal]

 

Physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on TODAY: The Russian meteorite was a "once a decade" event. 

Officials believe this 26-foot-wide hole in the ice of Chebarkul Lake was created by the meteorite. 



Latest: http://on.today.com/15hC3qw

 

In terms of human casualties, Friday's meteorite strike is the worst ever reported. Almost 1,000 are reported to have sought treatment after the fall. At least 34 of them were hospitalised, with two reported to be in intensive care.

Before this there were only stories of a dog being killed in Egypt by a meteorite in 1911 and a boy being hit, but not seriously injured, by one in Uganda in 1992.

The Russian Academy of Sciences estimate the fireball that streaked over the Ural mountains on Friday morning weighed about 10 tons. The speed of entry was at least 54,000 kilometres per hour (33,000 mph) and it shattered about 30-50 kilometres (18-32 miles) above ground, showering meteorites that caused damage over a wide area.

The shockwave from the fireball's supersonic passage through the atmosphere broke windows and set off car alarms. The collision took place as the world waited for Friday evening's close pass of asteroid 2012 DA14. According to the European Space Agency, no link between the two events is thought possible.

Until Friday morning, astronomers had thought the asteroid most likely to hit Earth was one called 2007 VK184. It is about 130 metres across and has a slim 1 in 2,000 chance of hitting Earth some time between 2048 and 2057. A danger that is thought will disappear with better tracking of its orbit.

Friday's unexpected strike highlights the need for better searches for dangerous asteroids, and a global strategy to deal with any that are seen.

Astronomers feel confident that they know the whereabouts of every asteroid larger than 30 kilometres. Such space rocks have been the priority because they have the potential to cause global catastrophe and mass extinction events should they hit us. None are known to pose a threat.

Go down to objects sized one kilometre and astronomers think they know about 90-95% of them. However, at 50 metres, the size of 2012 DA14, the uncertainties really begin. Astronomers estimate that they know only 2 percent of these.

http://www.guardian....asteroid-danger

[Sħãlïq™]

"Once a decade"? Wow! Also, I wonder what kind of damage would've caused if it hadn't exploded before hitting the ground....

[Smitty]

It's the Reapers. Harbinger is coming.

 

http://i.imgur.com/J9u7Ahm.jpg