NASA has been reporting about a large space rock that will pass within 17,000 miles of Earth this afternoon around 2 pm. What hit Russia earlier in the day was not that, but has many on edge. Incredibly, this fireball came unexpectedly in the early morning hours to the Ural region of Russia as people were just getting to work. This was located in the city of Chelybinsk, which is located about 950 miles southeast of Moscow.
Watch the video composite below and see the bright fireball in the sky. It was so bright that it created its own shadows as you will see from many vantage points. There was a large smoke trail in the sky, looking almost as if it was a plane on fire.
The meteorite exploded with reminders of Armageddon or Deep Impact. The shockwave blew out windows, knocked down walls, and more than 500 people were injured.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos said this was traveling at 19 miles per second and weighed about 10 tons. That is relatively small and fast, making it very difficult to track. There is no indication if there are any others expected.
Terms to know:
- Asteroid: A rock in space
- Meteor: An asteroid that enters Earth’s atmosphere
- Meteorite: A meteor that reached the ground
Kid Weather App: See the app I made with my son, who came up with this idea when he was 6 years old. You download will support our efforts. See more and links for your device at kidweatherapp.com
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