Yekaterina Pustynnikova / Chelyabinsk.ru via AP
A huge meteor flared through the skies over Russia's Chelyabinsk region, triggering a powerful shock wave that injured nearly a thousand people, blew out windows and reportedly caused the roof of a factory to collapse.
A meteor 15 meters across flared through the skies over Russia's Chelyabinsk region early Friday, triggering an atomic bomb-sized shock wave that injured nearly a thousand people, blew out windows and caused some Russians to fear the end of the world.
It was the largest reported fireball since the Tunguska event in 1908 – an asteroid that flattened millions of trees over a wide area in Siberia – according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Multiple amateur videos posted online showed the meteor’s flaring arc – called a bolide by scientists – as it crossed the western Siberia sky. Others from the scene included the sound of a loud boom, followed by a cacophony of car alarms. One video showed the hurried evacuation of an office building in Chelyabinsk.
Collapsed wall
Cars drive past the site of a collapsed wall and roof of a zinc plant warehouse in Chelyabinsk on Feb. 15. The destruction was caused by the shock wave from a meteoroid that streaked explosively through the skies above Chelyabinsk in Siberia.
Broken glass
Damage caused after a meteorite passed above the Urals city of Chelyabinskon Feb. 15.
“There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people’s houses to check if they were OK,” Chelyabinsk resident Sergey Hametov told The Associated Press. “We saw a big burst of light then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound.”
Another resident described the meteorite's “flash."
"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name, told Reuters. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shock wave that smashed windows."
The fireball’s trail, which JPL reported was visible for about 30 seconds and said was “brighter than the sun,” lit up one man’s morning commute. “I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day,” Viktor Prokofiev told Reuters. “I felt like I was blinded by headlights.”
Estimates of the number of people injured swelled throughout the day, with early reports putting those hurt around 500, with close to 100 people hospitalized. Chelyabinsk health official Marina Moskvicheva later said as many as 985 people had requested medical assistance in the city, many for injuries caused by flying glass. More than 200 children at Chelyabinsk schools, which had just opened, were among the injured, according to officials.
Russia’s interior ministry said the shock wave caused the roof of a zinc factory's warehouse to collapse, but that no fatalities were reported.
The fireball entered Earth’s atmosphere at 18 km per second, and released hundreds of kilotons of energy, JPL said. The blast's force was the equivalent of the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII – many times over.
Landing spot
A photo provided by the Russian Interior Ministry's Chelyabinsk regional branch shows people standing near a 26-foot-wide hole in the ice of Chebarkul Lake, reportedly created by a meteorite that fell to Earth on Feb. 15.
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Massive meteor rocks Russia, 1k+ injured
Published on Feb 15, 2013
On Friday, the people of Chelyabinsk had their world rocked after a meteor streaked across the sky and made contact in the region. The blast in the industrial region injured over one thousand people and blew out windows of building in the area. According to reports, the meteor weighed approximately 11 tons and RT's Lindsay France brings us more on the damage from this rare phenomenon.
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Comments
Morris, love your color enhacements. Yep, something's up their surfing the fireballs as they come down. What a ride!
Wow thanks for the enhancements, Morris.
this meteor had a blast of 20 atomic bombs, was the size of a bus, had a weight of 7,000 tons and was traveling at 33,000 mph when it shattered at a height of 18-32 miles..
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqGCl0po0GoL_s_V-...
This object is breaking up in flight as denoted by the red arrows. These are not small and coincides with the damage reported. This is an enhancement of the posted picture...
Yes, Kim, it is kind of reminiscent only we didn't have to go out to find this one. It surprised everyone, supposedly.
Peter , I am hoping it is definitely not a sign of things to come.
It makes me think of the movie Armageddon with Bruce Willis.
Interesting - let's hope it's not a sign of things to come.