Meteor explodes over Russia, hundreds reported injured

[Crisho65 2]

Hi all. About the explosion of the meteorite, the Italian television said today that were caused also by Russian missile with an inert warhead.

But the news is not confirmed.

Do you know about it?

Do you think it possible?

[ssaikku 0]

_{Even if I'm new here, does the video look like an 'inert warhead'? I've seen a video of a BUK-M1 hitting a SCUD-Missile (Nope, sorry, it's not on Youtube), and that doesn't look like the pictures. And If (Crisho65) is thinking that a Russian missile hit the meteor, that is utter nonsense. What it looks like is like somewhat large meteor hitting Earth's atmosphere and breaking up. It explains the flash quite well. (On an other topic, I have to say that this is a great site for air combat simulators)}

[SayethWhaaaa 245]

Someone divided by Zero again??

[Snailman 517]

Hi all. About the explosion of the meteorite, the Italian television said today that were caused also by Russian missile with an inert warhead.

But the news is not confirmed.

Do you know about it?

Do you think it possible?

 

There are many rumours about military operations, as there were no scientists know nothing about the meteor, and also there is a certain level of "unusual science" about the whole thing. They immediately started to look for radiation, and very very quickly dispatched to the impact sites. Another thing, is that there were very few actual impact points, if something like a rock explodes, in atmosphere, a large amount of smaller debris should have sprayed all around. Some people have serious doubts for why a piece of rock explodes midair into almost nothing, and anyway people heard explosions 10-15 minutes after the actual event...

This is what I heard.

[Gr.Viper 131]

Fragment search at the presumed impact sites called off. None found.

[B52STRATO 215]

On the other hand a 10 tons rocky object is not so huge, friction has quickly disintegrated it into multiple small fragments, a major part of which is quickly consumed, leftovers, in few numbers, must then be spread over a huge surface. If research arrive to back some of these in less than a week, it would be a record.

There were also several "Matrix world style" critics who challenged videos, accusing records to show an object with a "straight" path. What seems normal from a ground eye since the projectile got a parabolic race.

[JediMaster 451]

Yes, because it doesn't matter WHAT the event, conspiracy theorists will start to expect not one, not two, but hundreds of pieces of concrete evidence and the absence of even one or two is "evidence" of it being ANYTHING but what it really was.

 

If these things hit every week, we'd all know exactly what happens. However, these things are rare.

[+logan4 845]

The observation of these objects is very low scale, we only have the capacity to monitor 5-10% of the actual sky constantly. There are a lot more passing by unknown to us then anyone like to admit it. Our everyday observation is mainly for local debrishes on orbit around earth. The other bigger wanderers either found by looking an object (stars, nebulas, galaxies) much further and fining a speck on the record moving or by concentrated asteroid belt search projects or by amateurs who has no agendas to meet and have a passion for search the night sky.

The object came in daylight, if come from sun near approaches only radars would be able to pick it up, land based visual observation would hardly have a chance.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

I like your thinking logan. Rocks diving to attack out of the sun. Somethings never change.

[Flyby PC 23]

Varies according to density, but 10 tons of rock is around 4m3. (In other words, a lump of stone 1m cube typically weighs around 2.5 tons).

 

So, using a rough estimate, a 10 ton block is 4 cubic m, so the cube root of 4 would make it a lump of rock just over 1.6m edge if it was a cube, or more likely just under 2m diameter if it was a sphere.

 

Considering it was burning up, I'm curious at what stage someone decided it weighed 10 tons, but I suppose it's as good a figure as any.

 

Being undedected, it does make you wonder how big a meteor would have to be to be detected en route, and how little time we'd have to get Bruce Willis suited and booted, and into a space ship with some nuclear devices to make it all go away.

[B52STRATO 215]

This 10 tons estimate was a first step, now sources from NASA and other agencies agree to estimate the mass of the object to still 10... but thousand tons.

[JediMaster 451]

I always heard it was a 10m rock, not 10 tons.

[B52STRATO 215]

Another proof of medias accuracy.

[+Erik 1,731]

Too many unknowns to be absolutely certain of anything. We'd need a sample of the meteor which could give us density and composition. Then from there we can start making educated guesses based on known entry objects. It's the whole pound of feathers pound of lead scenario.

[+logan4 845]

Lex, sun near approach... not from the sun.. there are 149millon km wide space between earth and the sun, lots of space for small rocks to wander around. And if the object is on its way to the outer section of our solar system then going/has to come from that direction.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

logan

Lex, sun near approach... not from the sun..

 

It was a funny. You have to think like a rock. The most successful stones try to have the sun at their back.

 

When I was programming a space combat game, years back (DOS), the most important thing was hiding near the local star (phase angle) so your target is more fully illuminated (fuller phase) ... at least when well inside a star system. Farther out, depending on the local sun brightness and engagement distances and sensors and ship sizes and such, the best hiding place is then to position yourself against the backdrop of the countless faint Milky Way stars. But since that is a 180 degree ring around the sky, then your target is also concealed against the galaxy as well... although...there may be differences in the faint star mag distribution in looking against the different galaxy arms and such, and the dark neb voids with fewer stars that can be difficult to hide in, but I never got THAT far with it lol.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Lexx_Luthor

[+logan4 845]

Glad to bring back old memories

I always liked space sims and also used the same tactic you described...

[Snailman 517]

Aye... it came from the arachnid quarantine zone :biggrin:

 

Good bug is a dead bug :)

[Gr.Viper 131]

A photo session with the tiny fragments.

http://lenta.ru/photo/2013/02/28/meteor/

[+Stary 2,426]

my grandfather (born in 1896 in then Russian Empire) saw effects of Tunguska as a kid, the sky was uplit for two days, I was allways fascinated by that story and event

[macelena 1,070]

It was God taking a picture...instead of an U-2, for a change.

[Gr.Viper 131]

http://lenta.ru/photo/2013/03/14/bigone/

A gallery of the largest fragment recovered, at 1.8kg. I don't know why the smoke was added...

[JediMaster 451]

I guess they figured a picture of a rock wasn't "exciting" enough.