Meteor Falls On Russia, Injures Around 1,000 People
Don’t forget that there was a day in Russia where residents got one of the true surprises you’ll ever heard about. On Friday morning, February 15, 2013, a meteorite arced through the sky above Russia, resulting in shattered windows, some astonishing video footage, and a whole lot of surprised Russians. The Russian meteor event is one to remember.
Russia’s Interior Ministry said at the time that around 1,000 injuries had been reported, including 200 children. Thankfully, most of the injuries were not serious.
Most of the injuries from the Russian meteor were reported in the Chelyabinsk region, some 950 miles east of Moscow. As many as 3,000 buildings sustained damage, mostly from the shockwave as the meteor broke up during its entry through the atmosphere.
The Russian meteor exploded in an airburst at an altitude of around 30 km with the energy equivalent of 400-500 kilotons of TNT, brighter than the Sun and generating the very powerful shockwave.
The Russian meteor blazed through the morning sky around 9:20 a.m. local time. Understandably, early reports were contradictory and occasionally bonkers, with the expected rumors of UFOs and at least one report that the meteor had been “shot down” by Russian fighter planes. Thankfully, in the age of cell phones and dash cams, there was verifiable video evidence of the occurrence. Without those, and with this being Russia and all, this likely would have been a significantly bigger conspiracy theory hotbed.
Many have cited Russia’s history of damaging visitors from the final frontier. In 1908, the so-called “Tunguska event” saw an asteroid, meteor, or comet fragment enter the atmosphere and explode above Siberia, flattening trees for hundreds of miles in all directions. Thankfully this event wasn’t nearly as violent, especially since it came down over populated areas.
In this age where camera phones are ubiquitous, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that there are some truly amazing videos of the Russian meteor event.
The Russian meteor still remains the largest of its kind caught on video and confirmed through Earth monitoring. Will it happen again? Almost for sure. But let’s hope this is the extent of the damage caused.
