We're diligently watching this asteroid fly by the Earth in lower orbit than most of our satellites. Well that's just a diversion. We get sideswiped, actually dead hit, by a 10 ton meteor. Fortunately it breaks up in our atmosphere, but unfortunately nearly 1000 are hurt. Poor Russia. They must have bulls-eye target painted on them.
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A bright flash was seen in the Chelyabinsk, Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions, Russia�s Republic of Bashkiria and in northern Kazakhstan early morning local time on February 15, 2013. Officials mention meteor shower and say that it began after a large meteorite disintegrated above the Urals mountain range and partially burned up in the lower atmosphere � resulting in fragments falling earthwards throughout the Chelyabinsk region. Numerous YT videos show unusual trail accompanied by several loud booms. Many reports mention shattered windows. Lifenews tabloid said that at least one piece of the fallen object caused damage on the ground in Chelyabinsk, according to preliminary reports, it crashed into a wall near a zinc factory, disrupting the city�s Internet and mobile service.
During the morning Russian military discovered a 6-meter crater from Urals meteorite, normal background radiation was reported at the crater. Russian Academy of Science said the meteorite weighed 10 tons before it entered Earth�s atmosphere. Lifenews reported, quoting a source in Emergencies Ministry, that before falling to earth, the meteorite exploded nine times, starting at an altitude of 55 kilometers.
Some believe that a long waited asteroid 2012 DA14 flyby scheduled for late afternoon today (UTC time) is somehow related to this incident though at this time it is unknown what exactly happened in in the sky above Russia today.
Russian space agency Roskosmos said: �
According to preliminary estimates, this space object is of non-technogenic origin and qualifies as a meteorite. It was moving at a low trajectory with a speed of about 30 km/s.�
RT reported that according to unconfirmed reports, the meteorite was intercepted by an air defense unit at the Urzhumka settlement near Chelyabinsk. A missile salvo reportedly blew the meteorite to pieces at an altitude of 20 kilometers. The military had nothing to do with the aerial meteorite explosion, the Urals Emergency Ministry said: �Russia�s defense ministry took no action connected to the incident. No aircrafts has been registered in the air at the given period of time.�
Residents of the town of Emanzhilinsk, some 50 kilometers from Chelyabinsk, said they saw a flying object that suddenly burst into flames, broke apart and fell to earth, and that a black cloud had been seen hanging above the town. Witnesses in Chelyabinsk said the city�s air smells like gunpowder.
The regional Emergency Ministry said the phenomenon was a meteorite shower, but locals have speculated that it was a military fighter jet crash or a missile explosion.
More at
https://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/201...eople-injured/
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