Meteorite strike on Russian city.

[torchthebitch]

Then I thought it deserved it's own thread.

A terrifying meteorite shower left more than 500 people injured, buildings devastated and the mobile network wiped out when it hit Russia this morning.
The Urals region was struck by falling meteorite fragments which fell in the city of Chelyabinsk, 900 miles east of Moscow and close to the Kazakhstan border.
Brightly burning rocks could be seen for hundreds of kilometres as they crashed at around 9.20am local time and one bystander described it 'like a scene from the Armageddon movie.'
Pictures show a streak of smoke followed by several bright blasts of flames and eyewitnesses spoke of several devastating explosions.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er-causes-widespread-panic.html#ixzz2KxbEuksT

 

[Mike_Yates]

Then I thought it deserved it's own thread.




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er-causes-widespread-panic.html#ixzz2KxbEuksT

These could be small fragments of a much larger meteor, perhaps the size of Texas.

 

[shoulderblade]

Amazing. Looks from one of the videos that it almost made the ground. Quite a bit of damage in any case, esp. difficult during a Russian winter.

Extremely ironic that it hits at the same time the pass-by asteroid is around though they are not supposed to be associated. Not much is known about these objects although a major collision would be disasterous. It looks to me that this one will not leave any geological mark on the Earth.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

President Obama issued a brief press release this morning apologizing to Russia for the failed economic policies of the Bush administration that have led to this outbreak of asteroids and meteoroids.



It is nice to have world-respected leadership again.

 

[torchthebitch]

Amazing. Looks from one of the videos that it almost made the ground. Quite a bit of damage in any case, esp. difficult during a Russian winter.

Extremely ironic that it hits at the same time the pass-by asteroid is around though they are not supposed to be associated. Not much is known about these objects although a major collision would be disasterous. It looks to me that this one will not leave any geological mark on the Earth.

One of them is travelling North-South and the other East-West or West-East, I can't remember which. So they reckon they are separate incidents.

Also they report a hole in the ice on a lake nearby. Apparently it is -20C.

 

[shoulderblade]

One of them is travelling North-South and the other East-West or West-East, I can't remember which. So they reckon they are separate incidents.

Also they report a hole in the ice on a lake nearby. Apparently it is -20C.

I was reading a report that stated seperate systems butnwith no elaboation.

Maybe it did make the surface. The surprise element and the trail of smoke out behind would make it guesswork unless you find an impaqct mark.

-20C Ow. It is not the kind of situation they would be prepared for. Gook luck to them.

 

[trysail]

A meteorite strike could ruin your whole day:




http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/02/15/a-problem-that-is-bigger-than-global-warming/

While politicians, their activist friends, and pundits caterwaul over a few tenths of a degree change in the global temperature over the last 100 years, with some Ehrlich-like nutballs even claiming it will cause extinction of humanity, today might be a good day to recognize a real extinction level challenge humanity faces.

 

[butters]

These could be small fragments of a much larger meteor, perhaps the size of Texas.

the larger one due to pass earth tonight at 7pmish greenwich mean time is the size of an olympic swimming pool.

as for the daily mail - lord

the damage so far is thought most likely due to shock waves triggered by the breaking of the sound barrier - injuries are mostly due to flying glass, though a wall has come down of some building - casualties as yet unconfirmed.

 

[shoulderblade]

A meteorite strike could ruin your whole day:

Or worse. Here is a story about a meteor impact in Australia about 300 million years ago that involved an object over 10 km. in diameter, possibly accompanied by smaller items.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-science-asteroid-australia-idUSBRE91E0AO20130215

I am still at a bit of a loss as to how much is actually know about the situation and how much is guesswork and speculation. You would think there would be some sort of watch system applied here but it is not clear that is the case.

Here is a chart from Wiki relating size, explosive power and frequency. Rather reassuring overall except for the last line. Sorry that C&P made it into a column rather than a chart but you can see high energy impacts are very rare and likely to be Oceanic.



Impactor
diameter

Kinetic energy at
atmospheric entry

Airburst
energy

Airburst
altitude

Average
frequency



4 m (13 ft)

3 kt

0.75 kt

42.5 km (139,000 ft)

1.3 years



7 m (23 ft)

16 kt

5 kt

36.3 km (119,000 ft)

4.6 years



10 m (33 ft)

47 kt

19 kt

31.9 km (105,000 ft)

10.4 years



20 m (66 ft)

376 kt

230 kt

22.4 km (73,000 ft)

60 years



30 m (98 ft)

1.2 Mt

930 kt

16.5 km (54,000 ft)

185 years



50 m (160 ft)

5.9 Mt

5.2 Mt

8.7 km (29,000 ft)

764 years



70 m (230 ft)

16 Mt

15.2 Mt

3.6 km (12,000 ft)

1900 years



85 m (279 ft)

29 Mt

28 Mt

0.58 km (1,900 ft)

3300 years


(The above table uses a density of 2600kg/m3, velocity of 17km/s, and an angle of 45 degrees)

Objects with a diameter less than 1 m (3.3 ft) are called meteoroids and seldom make it to the ground to become meteorites. An estimated 500 meteorites reach the surface each year, but only 5 or 6 of these typically create a weather radar signature with a strewn field large enough to be recovered and be made known to scientists.

[edit] Risk

Although no human is known to have been killed by an impact, at least one person has been injured (see below). However, there is the possibility that an unknown asteroid or comet could hit the earth and cause a large number of deaths. In 2005 it was estimated that the chance of a person born today dying due to an impact is around 1 in 200 000.[9] The 4-meter-sized asteroid 2008 TC3 is the only known object to be detected before an Earth-impact.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

President Obama issued a brief press release this morning apologizing to Russia for the failed economic policies of the Bush administration that have led to this outbreak of asteroids and meteoroids.



It is nice to have world-respected leadership again.

Good God you're an idiot.

Fucking "Not-Republican" Tourettes - Something happens - "Obama!"

 

[trysail]

Or worse. Here is a story about a meteor impact in Australia about 300 million years ago that involved an object over 10 km. in diameter, possibly accompanied by smaller items.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-science-asteroid-australia-idUSBRE91E0AO20130215

Ask the dinosaurs or Walter Alvarez about the K-T extinction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-T_extinction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvarez_hypothesis

 

[butters]

Or worse. Here is a story about a meteor impact in Australia about 300 million years ago that involved an object over 10 km. in diameter, possibly accompanied by smaller items.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-science-asteroid-australia-idUSBRE91E0AO20130215

I am still at a bit of a loss as to how much is actually know about the situation and how much is guesswork and speculation. You would think there would be some sort of watch system applied here but it is not clear that is the case.

there is a watch system - that's why they know there are roughly half a million 'roids out there that warrant a mention, and we get one this close at least every forty years. they are well-followed, and with each one studied at close range a whole lot more information is gathered.

apparently breaking up an asteroid that comes close can be more dangerous than 'steering' it - heating up one side to effect changes in direction. breaking one into smaller pieces, unless it's absolutely going to smack into earth, means more chances of damage as pieces breach the atmosphere and, failing to burn up, cause impact damage or - as has been seen in russia, today - sonic boom issues.

 

[shoulderblade]

there is a watch system - that's why they know there are roughly half a million 'roids out there that warrant a mention, and we get one this close at least every forty years. they are well-followed, and with each one studied at close range a whole lot more information is gathered.

apparently breaking up an asteroid that comes close can be more dangerous than 'steering' it - heating up one side to effect changes in direction. breaking one into smaller pieces, unless it's absolutely going to smack into earth, means more chances of damage as pieces breach the atmosphere and, failing to burn up, cause impact damage or - as has been seen in russia, today - sonic boom issues.

Well I am glad to hear there is a watch system. I have probaby read too many articles on the subject, some by authors who were not well informed and was beginning to wonder about it.

As per intervention that is a tricky business esp. as you can hardly do trial runs in a labratory. I can see the explosion option being a little risky but there must be some benign way to alter the orbit so it is just nudged out of thye danger zone.

 

[butters]

the only thing with a watch system is financial cut-backs . . . if you're only watching certain sections of the night sky - well fingers crossed

 

[hogjack]

What will be the impact on vodka prices globally?

 

[Mike_Yates]

A texas-sized asteroid could completely annihilate all living organisms on planet Earth.

 

[torchthebitch]

What will be the impact on vodka prices globally?

Depends on how it affects the potato crop.

 

[Mike_Yates]

 

[torchthebitch]

I wonder just how big a piece made this.

 

[heather_baby]

You know, I just heard about this. They thought it was a UFO sighting at first?

 

[bronzeage]

You know, I just heard about this. They thought it was a UFO sighting at first?

It was a UFO, at first.

 

[heather_baby]

It was a UFO, at first.

Well in one of the videos, it sure didn't look like a UFO to me.

 

[islandman]

Why is it always Russia?

 

[Wrong Element]

Why is it always Russia?

There's a lot of it.

It's a good thing we keep timing the big meteor strikes there for those periods when we're not in a Cold War with them. People get antsy, and the next thing you know, the only thing standing between you and vaporization is Matthew Broderick playing tic-tac-toe.

 

[heather_baby]

I guess the slightly ironic thing is that I actually am Russian..