Russian TV: Friday’s meteorite which struck Chelyabinsk carried a mass of around 40 tonnes, possibly making it the largest recorded object to hit the Earth since Tunguska. It was around 15 meters across when it entered the atmosphere, according to one expert.
“It was a very, very, powerful event,” astronomer at the University of Ontario, Margaret Campbell-Brown, told Nature.com.
But despite its size, it wasn’t the meteorite’s landing that caused the damage.
“The sonic boom was just immense, and it was the boom that caused the destruction – not the actual landing of the meteorite. It was the amazing explosion in the atmosphere as it broke the sound barrier that caused the problem,” Professor of Planetary Science at The Open University, Monica Grady, told RT.
The meteorite – which left more than 1,200 people injured – was undetected until it hit the atmosphere.
“I’m not aware of anyone who saw this coming,” Heiner Klinkrad, head of the European Space Operations Centre in Germany, said.
Categories: Europe