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Russian Meteor Shower - dramatic scenes

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Lish, Feb 15, 2013.

  1. Lish

    Lish Very Tilted

    Location:
    Im here, but heart is somewhere else
    Lish, Feb 15, 2013
    #1
  2. *Nikki*

    *Nikki* Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Stateside
    Amazing and very scary to witness in person.
     
    *Nikki*, Feb 15, 2013
    #2
  3. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Pretty crazy. When does a meteor shower become a meteor strike?
     
    Baraka_Guru, Feb 15, 2013
    #3
  4. cis689

    cis689 Slightly Tilted

    Are you in Russia Nikki?
     
    cis689, Feb 15, 2013
    #4
  5. greywolf

    greywolf Slightly Tilted

    It wasn't actually a meteor strike as such, it was a bolide... a meteor that burns up and explodes in the air before reaching the ground, like the 1908 Tugunska strike in Siberia. The in-air explosion sends out a shock wave that acts like a bomb, causing havoc on the ground.

    The current reports put over 1000 people injured by broken glass and flying debris, almost all not seriously.
     
    greywolf, Feb 15, 2013
    #5
  6. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Yeah, I just watched this: Neil deGrasse Tyson: Radar could not detect meteorite - Video on TODAY.com
     
    Baraka_Guru, Feb 15, 2013
    #6
    • Like Like x 1
  7. *Nikki*

    *Nikki* Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Stateside
    Nope! Just imaging :)
     
    *Nikki*, Feb 15, 2013
    #7
    • Like Like x 1
  8. the_jazz

    the_jazz Accused old lady puncher

    I spent about 4 days in Yekaterinburg, which is 125 miles away. I've been through Chelyabinsk but didn't stop.
     
    the_jazz, Feb 15, 2013
    #8
  9. cis689

    cis689 Slightly Tilted

    I couldn't imagine. "Mom's comin' round to put it back the way it ought to be"
     
    cis689, Feb 15, 2013
    #9
  10. Fangirl

    Fangirl Very Tilted

    Location:
    Arizona

    Spectacular Meteor Footage
    With sonic BOOM!


    Dramatic CCTV: Meteorite blast wave blows out doors, windows in Russia.
    There go the windows...
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2013
    Fangirl, Feb 15, 2013
    #10
  11. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    CNN was showing all the people flooding the hospital and an interview with a doctor. Thankfully all of the wounds they saw were relatively superficial, mostly cuts and contusions.
     
    snowy, Feb 15, 2013
    #11
  12. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    We should be lucky this didn't happen in the 1950's-1980's. The Russians could have easily gotten word that it was an attack and that the bomb didn't go off for some reason and then launched a counter attack.
     
    ASU2003, Feb 15, 2013
    #12
  13. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    Even primitive detection equipment in the 1950s (Vela satellites, for example) could have distinguished between a meteor/bolide event and a nuclear weapon detonation..
     
    MSD, Feb 15, 2013
    #13
  14. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    Russian Meteor Truthers: Vladimir Zhirinovsky claims meteor was actually U.S. weapons test.

    Even today there are people in Russia who think it was a covert 'test' shot by the US. And maybe it was just a empty ICBM or a dud. The leaders hundreds of miles away may only have a few minutes to figure out if there are other incoming missiles right behind that one...
     
    ASU2003, Feb 16, 2013
    #14
  15. EventHorizon

    EventHorizon assuredly the cause of the angry Economy..

    Location:
    FREEDOM!
    does anyone else find the sheer number of people injured a little strange? 500 people seems like a ton especially since most spate stuff burns up in the atmosphere. is there a precedent for similarly dangerous meteorites?
     
    EventHorizon, Feb 16, 2013
    #15
  16. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Chelyabinsk has a population of over a million. NASA estimates that this was a 55-foot-wide rock with a mass of 10,000 tonnes.

    NASA estimates that the explosion released 500 kilotons of energy (30 times the size of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945). It entered the atmosphere at 44,000 miles per hour (supersonic tops out at at mach 5; this thing was travelling at around mach 58). It took 32.5 seconds to break up at an altitude of around 15 miles above the earth's surface.

    The folk in Chelyabinsk are lucky more weren't injured or killed.

    Regarding precedent: "The meteor explosion appears to be one of the most stunning cosmic events above Russia since the 1908 Tunguska Event in which a massive blast most scientists blame on an asteroid or a comet ripped through Siberia."

    Russian meteor exploded with force of 30 Hiroshima bombs - Telegraph
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2013
    Baraka_Guru, Feb 16, 2013
    #16
  17. Freetofly

    Freetofly Diving deep into the abyss

    Location:
    From Philly USA, living in London UK
    I just turned on the TV 3:00am Friday morning, it was on all the news channels. It totally freaked me out, like I was watching the twilight zone and I was actually in this episode.
    Really an incredible event.
     
    Freetofly, Feb 16, 2013
    #17
  18. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    With the trajectory of incoming objects, angle and momentum and width of Russia itself...it's got a good odds that something may hit it.
    Other countries aren't as big in width in populated land...the ocean gets a lot, but the impact isn't as observed or felt.

    It's interesting to see it as well as hear it.
    Because if it ever does happen, that's how it's going to be.

    Quick, bright light, Bam, over & done with.
    With others to deal with the consequences, if there are others left.
    And the world will keep on turning, whether we are or not.

    Likely, nah...but if so, oh well.
    It's a way for the Universe to humble the egos of humans.
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2013
    rogue49, Feb 17, 2013
    #18
  19. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    Almost all were injured by broken glass when windows blew in. For a rough comparison since you're in the US, would it be that surprising if a similar number were injured if this happened over Dallas, TX?
     
    MSD, Feb 20, 2013
    #19