Good article with lots of pictures. Looks like something out of a disaster movie.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279020/Russian-meteorite-Moment-meteorite-exploded-doctors-treat-500-people-injured.html
http://tinyurl.com/copa32f
Sonic boom caused by meteorite hurtling above Russian town at 33,000mph smashes buildings and injures 1,000 people before the space rock crashes into frozen lake
- Large object flashed across the sky at 9.20am local time
- Pictures show a streak of smoke followed by several bright blasts of flames
- 82 of the injured are children and two are in intensive care
- Landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a neighbouring town
- 6,000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory collapsed
- One local said it 'was like a scene from the Armageddon movie'
- Same day as Asteroid 2012 DA14, which is due to skim Earth's orbit tonight
By Will Stewart and Jill Reilly
PUBLISHED:02:03 EST, 15 February 2013| UPDATED:12:05 EST, 15 February 2013
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- Close shave for Earth as asteroid is set to whizz by INSIDE orbit of communication satellites
- CNN anchor suggests meteor hurtling toward Earth could be a result of global warming
A terrifying meteorite shower left 1,000 people injured, buildings devastated and the mobile network wiped out when it hit Russia this morning.
Brightly burning rocks could be seen for miles as they crashed at around 9.20am local time and one bystander described it 'like a scene from the Armageddon movie.'
The meteorite landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a town in the neighbouring Chelyabinsk region.
The city of Chelyabinsk, 900 miles east of Moscow and close to the Kazakhstan border, took the brunt of the super sonic impact.
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Ice breaker: An official standing near an eight-meter hole left by the meteorite in the surface of a frozen lake near the town of Chebarkul
Debris: Chunks of black matter, ranging between 5mm and 10mm in diameter, were found scattered around the ice hole caused by the meteorite
Investigation: Officials stand around the hole caused by the meteorite strike, which also set off a dangerous sonic boom
Unexpected sight: A terrifying meteorite shower left a thousand people injured, buildings devastated and the mobile network wiped out when it hit Russia this morning
Terrifying: 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'
Spectacular sky: 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
Before and after: A video showed a street scene in Russia before the meteorite shower struck. Seconds later the street was lit up in a haze of bright white as the large fireball exploded
Speed: Russia's space agency Roscosmos said the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second and that such events were hard to predict
VIDEO Unbelievable footage. Meteor shatters classroom, sonic boom reverberates
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The Russian Ministry of Emergencies says 950 people have been injured, 82 of them are children and two are in intensive care.
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Many of the injured had bloodied faces and one child's back was seen covered in blood.
Tim O'Brien, associate director of the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory, said the injuries were caused when the meteor created a sonic boom.
'This reasonably large chunk of rock was moving faster than the speed of sound, maybe 20,000 miles per hour. It made a sonic boom in the atmosphere, and that hit buildings and shattered windows. That is what seems to have caused the injuries,' he explained.
However, there were no reports of fatalities and it was not immediately clear if any people were struck by fragments.
A six metre wide hole was found in the ground close to Lake Chebarkul, said Russian military sources cited by RIA Novosti news agency.
Earlier it was thought the main body of the meteorite had hit the lake.
'The meteorite that passed over the Chelyabinsk region fell into a body of water 1km from the city of Chebarkul,' said a statement posted on the website of Chelyabinsk governor, Mikhail Yurevich.
According to an unconfirmed report in Russia Today, the meteorite was intercepted by Russian air defense.
Interception: According to an unconfirmed report in Russia Today, the meteor was intercepted by Russian air defense
Shockwave: People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave
Smoking: Pictures show a streak of smoke followed by several bright blasts of flames
Coincidence: Early indications are that the shower is unrelated to Asteroid 2012 DA14, which is due to skim the orbit of the Earth later today
High in the sky: The vapour trail of a falling meteorite is seen in the sky over the city of Chelyabinsk
The strike came on the same day that Asteroid 2012 DA14 is due to skim the orbit of the Earth tonight.
But astronomers say that it is probably just a coincidence - Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society told MailOnline: 'As I understand it, the Russian meteorite(s) were travelling from east to west whereas 2012 DA14 will be travelling from north to south.'
Chelyabinsk residents reported shaking ground, windows being shattered and car alarms being set off during the shower.
Pictures show a streak of smoke followed by several bright blasts of flames and eyewitnesses spoke of several devastating explosions.
Mobile phones are only working intermittently and there were localised power cuts.
According to RT.com, the Urals regional centre of the Emergency Ministry claimed it sent out a mass text message warning residents about a possible meteorite shower.
Injured: A man identifying himself as Viktor poses for a photograph after receiving treatment for injuries after the meteorite shower hit the Russian region
Broken glass is removed from this injured girl's hand
Wounded: This woman suffered cuts across her face when the sonic boom of the meteor sent broken glass flying
Medical treatment: Many injured had bloodied faces from being hit by shards of glass broken in the explosions
Toll: Hundreds of people were injured, but there have been no reports of fatalities
VIDEO Moment Meteorite shower hits caught on camera
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Fear: First reports suggested that there had been a plane crash but officials confirmed it was one or more meteorites falling to Earth
Sonic boom: Tim O'Brien, associate director of the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory, said the injuries were caused when the meteor created a sonic boom causing windows to shatter
But eyewitnesses said they either never received it, or got the message after the explosion had already occurred.
The emergencies ministry said that 10,000 rescue workers had been dispatched to help the injured and locate those needing help.
The stadium of Chelyabinsk's Traktor ice hockey side was hit and state television showed a part of the roof and a wall shorn off a brick zinc factory in the city.
All schools and kindergartens were closed in Chelyabinsk region today.
Explosion: Eyewitnesses spoke of several devastating explosions rocking buildings and shattering glass
Damaged: A zinc factory in Chelyabinsk was seen with a partially collapsed roof and walls in the morning after meteor pieces rained on the town
Moment of impact: A pair, seen on CCTV, cower from the impact as the window near them explodes
Injured: Four schoolchildren were known to have been injured from broken glass
Unexpected: Eyewitnesses spoke of several devastating explosions rocking buildings and shattering glass
SO WHAT IS A METEORITE?
Meteorites are small pieces of rocky debris that have been captured by the Earth's gravity, pulling them from their paths through space and bringing them crashing down to Earth.
Most are fragments of asteroids that have been shattered by collisions with other asteroids, although some are pieces of Mars or the Moon which have been thrown into space after asteroid collisions with these bodies.
The vary in age depending on their sources.
Meteorites from asteroids are around 4.5billion years old.
Meteorites from the Moon are older than 2.5billion years and meteorites from Mars may be as young as 65million years
Meteorites are distinct from meteoroids, which are smaller. When meteorites plow into the Earth's atmosphere they produce a brief flash of light, known as a meteor.
These were originally thought to be weather phenomena - hence the term meteorology for the study of weather.
The impact of a comet or asteroid 65million years ago is thought to have caused, or at least contributed to, the extinction of around three-quarters of all species living on Earth at the time - including the dinosaurs.
There have been no recorded deaths due to a meteorite fall.
A dog was, however, reputedly killed by the fall of the Nakhla martian meteorite in Egypt in 1911.
Difference between a meteoroid and a meteorite
When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere they are called meteors.
Most meteors burn up in the atmosphere, but if they survive the frictional heating and strike the surface of the Earth they are called meteorites.
The Russian Academy of Sciences is estimating the meteor weighed about 10 tons.
The academy said in a statement hours fall that the meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 54,000 kph (33,000 mph) and shattered about 30-50 kilometres (18-32 miles) above ground.
One eyewitness Gulnara Dudka, in her 20s, gave a dramatic account of the meteorite, telling how she feared 'doomsday' had arrived, reported the Siberian Times.
'What was it? People said it was a plane that fell and exploded,' she said.
'I saw a bright blast from behind me. Everything was lit up, very bright light.
'It was like from Armageddon movie when the meteorite rain started, I really thought it was like doomsday.
'It was so scary especially the explosion. It was very strong. I am speechless. It was so strong. My camera couldn't reproduce how strong the bang was.'
'I was sitting at home and typing something on my computer. Suddenly there was a huge bright flash,' said Konstantin Zharinov, an historian and journalist from Chelyabinsk.
'At first I thought something happened at my neighbours place but a minute later the sound of the explosion came.'
He said 'many lost their windows, glass is everywhere in the streets'.
Children were left panic-stricken as windows smashed at School Number 15 in Chelyabinsk.
'First there was an unreal light that lit up all the classrooms on the right side of the school. That kind of light doesn't happen in life, only at the end of the world, then a trail appeared like from a plane but only 10 times bigger,' said teacher Valentina Nikolayeva.
Residents in one 19 storey block reported feeling the shockwaves of the explosions.
The sounds of car alarms and breaking windows could be heard in the area, said a witness, and there were reports that the internet and mobile networks were temporarily down.
The meteorite flew across the Russian sky from the direction of Kazakhstan, its trajectory going over southern Siberia, above the Tyumen, Kurgan and Sverdlovsk regions, said the head of the Urals regional branch of the Emergencies Ministry press service, Vadim Grebennikov.
VIDEO Dramatic moment workers run for cover as meteorite strikes
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The event has been well-documented - many drivers in Russia have video recorders fitted in their cars to record any accident or disputes.
Within an hour of the explosion, footage from these was uploaded to YouTube showing the fireball crashing to the ground.
Officials stressed that radiation levels remained normal amid fears that one of dozens of nuclear facilities in the region could have been hit.
'All Rosatom enterprises located in the Urals region -- including the Mayak complex -- are working as normal,' an unnamed Rosatom spokesman told Interfax.
Hurt: A school in Chelyabinsk took a fair brunt of the explosion - four students were injured
Blown out: A building damaged by the shockwave from the meteorite
Concern focused on nuclear warehouses of the Defense Ministry in Trekhgorny, in the South Urals, but officials insisted that there was no damage.
Russian news reports noted that the meteor hit less than a day before the asteroid 2012 DA14 is to make the closest recorded pass of an asteroid - about 17,150 miles (28,000 kilometers).
But the European Space Agency, in a post on its Twitter account, said its experts had determined there was no connection.
Small pieces of space debris - usually parts of comets or asteroids - that are on a collision course with the Earth are called meteoroids.
Surprise: Shocked residents look up in the sky with horror
Aftermath: People look at damage to a shop following the meteor shower
Shattered: The city of Chelyabinsk, 900 miles east of Moscow and close to the Kazakhstan border, took the brunt of the impact
When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere they are called meteors.
Most meteors burn up in the atmosphere, but if they survive the frictional heating and strike the surface of the Earth they are called meteorites.
The dramatic events prompted an array of reactions from prominent Russian political figures.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at an economic forum in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, said the meteor could be a symbol for the forum, showing that 'not only the economy is vulnerable, but the whole planet.'
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the nationalist leader noted for vehement statements, said 'It's not meteors falling, it's the test of a new weapon by the Americans,' the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
'At the moment we are checki
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