It was yesterday morning (UK time) whilst people were planning to look to the skies to see meteor DA14 pass only 17,200 miles from the Earth (which happened later that evening) that over 1000 people in Russia received minor injuries in a dramatic meteorite explosion. The meteorite exploded over the Chelyabinsk region causing an air shockwave which smashed windows. As yet reports are only of minor injuries.
It is common practice for vehicles in Russia to record video of their journey, presumably to assist in appointing the blame following any incidents with other road users. These cameras have proven to be an extremely valuable resource for recording the meteorite. Russia Today have put together the below compilation of some of the best footage from across the region.
So why weren't we warned on the potential impact of this meteor, when we know exactly when DA14 was due to pass close to the Earth? It's a scale issue. The Russian meteor was only around 15 metres across and weighed approximately 7000 tonnes. DA14 for comparison 45 metres across.
Astronomers are tracking hundreds of Near Earth Objects (NEO's), and the number grows each year with new teams and new technologies. The fact is that they concentrate on larger NEO's first in the hope that if we know it's coming we can launch an Armageddon or Deep Impact style rescue mission to save the planet.
Smaller meteorites like this cause 'airbursts' but we shouldn't worry about them too much, as damage is usually limited and more often than not they would hit un populated areas, unlike the typical disaster film scenarios!
No comments:
Post a Comment