New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Russia meteor not linked to asteroid flyby, preliminary data indicate

Date:
February 15, 2013
Source:
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Summary:
Preliminary information indicates that a meteor in Chelyabinsk, Russia, is not related to asteroid 2012 DA14, which is flying by Earth safely today.
Share:
FULL STORY

Preliminary information indicates that a meteor in Chelyabinsk, Russia, is not related to asteroid 2012 DA14, which is flying by Earth safely today.

The Russia meteor is the largest reported since 1908, when a meteor hit Tunguska, Siberia. The meteor entered the atmosphere at about 40,000 mph (18 kilometers per second). The impact time was 7:20:26 p.m. PST, or 10:20:26 p.m. EST on Feb. 14 (3:20:26 UTC on Feb. 15), and the energy released by the impact was in the hundreds of kilotons.

Based on the duration of the event, it was a very shallow entry. It was larger than the meteor over Indonesia on Oct. 8, 2009. Measurements are still coming in, and a more precise measure of the energy may be available later. The size of the object before hitting the atmosphere was about 49 feet (15 meters) and had a mass of about 7,000 tons.

The meteor, which was about one-third the diameter of asteroid 2012 DA14, was brighter than the sun. Its trail was visible for about 30 seconds, so it was a grazing impact through the atmosphere.

It is important to note that this estimate is preliminary, and may be revised as more data is obtained.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroidflyby.html


Story Source:

Materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Russia meteor not linked to asteroid flyby, preliminary data indicate." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 February 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130215191757.htm>.
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (2013, February 15). Russia meteor not linked to asteroid flyby, preliminary data indicate. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130215191757.htm
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Russia meteor not linked to asteroid flyby, preliminary data indicate." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130215191757.htm (accessed March 19, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES