There were many things that made the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk Russia this last February memorable. For most, the amount of camera footage of the event was the most staggering aspect. Indeed, it was the first impact of its kind to ever be caught on film. The scale of damage caused by the meteor was also noteworthy, bringing the dangers of space impacts out of science fiction and history books and into the modern world. However, the most notable aspect of the event for scientists, and what holds the greatest implication for humanity as a whole, is the fact that it came completely out of nowhere. Since the original impact on February 15, teams of scientists have combed over Chelyabinsk and the surrounding countryside, visiting over fifty villages and recovering any remaining fragments of the meteor. Just last month, the largest piece to date, a 1,430 pound chunk of rock the size of a coffee table, was recovered by divers from a lake outside of the city. By mapping the locations of debris and collecting thousands of interviews and personal accounts, research teams have recently been able to create an accurate model of the meteor’s path and behavior once it entered Earth’s atmosphere. As any video of the incident will show, much of the damage from the impact came from the powerful shockwave accompanying the meteor’s entry. This supersonic blast first began developing over 55 miles in the sky while the meteor traveled at over 40,000 miles per hour. At 18 miles, the meteor reached peak brightness (30 times brighter than the sun by some estimates), burning hot enough to give many people on the ground mild sunburns. At this point, the rock broke apart into about twenty smaller objects. At 15 miles, these pieces then shattered into countless smaller rocks. Together, these successive airbursts packed as much energy as 500 kilotons of TNT, and produced shockwaves powerful enough to cause damage 55 miles in every direction. By comparison, the nuclear blasts over Hiroshima and Nagasaki measured equal to about 16 kilotons each.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 23:33:32 +0000
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