Author Topic: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia  (Read 222486 times)

Offline smoliarm

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #40 on: 02/15/2013 11:53 am »
Most likely, this was stony meteorite with very low volatile content.

So the trail would be made up of something like very fine ash, not water vapour? That suggests it would fall to the ground and could be examined.

Yes, and that's what my friends from Russian Meteorite Сommittee are doing now :)

About the trail - its major components are FeO, SiO2 and SO2 in amorphous form (therefore it is colorless). Major chemical reactions at the trail formation: BEFORE the bright light -- decomposition of meteoritic troilite (FeS) and its oxidation; AT the light -- evaporation and oxidation of kamasite (Fe-Ni alloy). All these are energy-releasing, but they add almost nothing to the BOOM :)

Offline smoliarm

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #41 on: 02/15/2013 12:29 pm »
...  Are you sure it was volatile-low?

No, I'm not, but it's a safe guess, based on 2 points:
= the appearance is quite similar to known falls of stone meteorites
= for violent shock wave high volatile content is not necessary, kinetic energy of 15-20 km/sec is quite enough.

Anyway, if they find another impact site (there should be dozens), not on the lake ice, but on the ground - we will know pretty soon what it was.

>>People tend to sneer at 'what if...?'
Well, this is so far the worst meteorite event in the recorded history:
= That's the very first time with injuries and substantial property damage
= The last time meteorite explosion shattered windows was in 18th century

For more statistics one can check Meteorite Catalog by Monica Grady, I do not have it right now.

The bottom line - meteorites are not that dangerous :)

Offline smoliarm

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #42 on: 02/15/2013 12:52 pm »
although I'm sure there's a silicate or metallic core around which the object formed.

In this particular video you can see narrow streak and smaller bright blob shooting out the big contrail after main flash, might that be the denser core? Attached capture, blob at the very right edge.

edit: Btw majestic lightshow on the sky, atomic bomb level bright flash, and what does the driver do? Nothing, keeps overspeeding and listening to cheesy pop like nothing happened. At least adjust the dashboard cam clock! ::)







>>might that be the denser core?
Almost certainly, no. From planetology view, it was a small fragment, about a meter or so.
1. Core-shell structure forms only on a large bodies (kilometers, or, more likely - hundreds of km).
Smaller asteroids do not possess gravitational "strength" to develop such structure.
2. Meter-size fragment does not have the ability even to grow ices on its surface.

The narrow streak you noted likely represents just the biggest piece after main explosion.



Offline Artyom.

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #43 on: 02/15/2013 01:00 pm »
It is possible fragments of the meteorite :-\ .

http://74.mvd.ru/news/item/845855/

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #44 on: 02/15/2013 01:16 pm »
Pretty amazing stuff, especially the videos from cameras on car dashboards.
« Last Edit: 02/15/2013 01:16 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #45 on: 02/15/2013 01:18 pm »
Pretty amazing stuff, especially the videos from cameras on car dashboards.

You get regular videos on Youtube of similar events from North America at a rate of 1-2 per year.  However, this object does seem to have been unusually large.
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Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #46 on: 02/15/2013 01:37 pm »
I wonder if our Russian readers can fill us in, but youtube is filled with tons of russian dash cam video's of drivers doing everything and anything. Does every Russian drive with a dash cam running?

I've seen at least a dozen separate dash cam video's of this event as it happened now.
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Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #47 on: 02/15/2013 01:38 pm »
I wonder if our Russian readers can fill us in, but youtube is filled with tons of russian dash cam video's of drivers doing everything and anything. Does every Russian drive with a dash cam running?

I've seen at least a dozen separate dash cam video's of this event as it happened now.

There's a lot of insurance fraud in Russia.  Having dash cams to prove whether you actually hit that particular car or person is a lot of help in the civil litigation court.
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Offline cneth

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #48 on: 02/15/2013 01:41 pm »
I wonder if our Russian readers can fill us in, but youtube is filled with tons of russian dash cam video's of drivers doing everything and anything. Does every Russian drive with a dash cam running?

I've seen at least a dozen separate dash cam video's of this event as it happened now.

I'm not russian, but you might read this article:

http://www.animalnewyork.com/2012/russian-dashcam/


Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #49 on: 02/15/2013 01:48 pm »
Video on Sky News (UK) shows CCTV from inside buildings, as they had windows blown out and doors blown off! :o

http://news.sky.com/story/1052514/meteorite-shower-hits-russia-injuring-over-900
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Offline rdale

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Offline Gene DiGennaro

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #51 on: 02/15/2013 01:50 pm »
Glad this didn't happen during the height of the Cold War.

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #52 on: 02/15/2013 01:51 pm »
Video on Sky News (UK) shows CCTV from inside buildings, as they had windows blown out and doors blown off! :o

http://news.sky.com/story/1052514/meteorite-shower-hits-russia-injuring-over-900

Even at 10,000m, the blast pressure wave was in the high-explosive bomb  level of force.

The damage to the zinc factory was quite impressive; I hope no-one was buried under any of that!
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Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #53 on: 02/15/2013 01:56 pm »
Here's the location:

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Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #54 on: 02/15/2013 02:03 pm »
The vapour trail is interesting.  It clearly divides into two trails, one of which suddenly vanishes.  That would suggest that the object was breaking up into smaller segments as it descends.  Maybe the trail that vanishes is the object that explodes and the other trail is the object that broke apart at a lower altitude and struck the lake?
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Offline ugordan

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #55 on: 02/15/2013 02:09 pm »
Based on the shockwave damage alone, I would agree that this probably in the low kiloton range, up to 10 kT perhaps, although I'd put my WAG at slightly less than that.

Offline JohnFornaro

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #56 on: 02/15/2013 02:13 pm »
The Russians have all the fun... 1908 ... 2013 ... Nothing ever happens around here.
« Last Edit: 02/15/2013 02:31 pm by JohnFornaro »
Sometimes I just flat out don't get it.

Offline mlindner

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #57 on: 02/15/2013 02:16 pm »
The meteorite didn't detonate. The explosion sounds are pieces of the meteorite going supersonic/hypersonic velocities with the largest piece having the loudest initial bang.

Edit: Large impact crater!


Another shockwave video:
« Last Edit: 02/15/2013 02:28 pm by mlindner »
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Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #58 on: 02/15/2013 02:27 pm »
No, it shattered. Hitting the lower atmosphere at those speeds is like hitting concrete. They are estimating a mass of about 10 tonnes, about a cubic meter in size.

Big things come in small packages ;)
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Offline Robotbeat

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Re: Meteor Strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia
« Reply #59 on: 02/15/2013 02:32 pm »
The meteorite didn't detonate. The explosion sounds are pieces of the meteorite going supersonic/hypersonic velocities with the largest piece having the loudest initial bang.

Edit: Large impact crater!


Another shockwave video:

Your first video is of something completely different... Entirely terrestrial.
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