5th anniversary of Chelyabinsk event, the biggest asteroid airburst since 1908

5th anniversary of Chelyabinsk event, the biggest asteroid airburst since 1908

February 15, 2018 marks the 5th anniversary of the Chelyabinsk event, the biggest asteroid airburst this century so far and the biggest one since the 1908 Tunguska event. This is also the only asteroid confirmed to have resulted in a large number of injuries. The…

Asteroid 2016 EF195 detected 4 days after very close flyby

Asteroid 2016 EF195 detected 4 days after very close flyby

Newly discovered asteroid 2016 EF195 made a very close approach to Earth on March 11 and flew by us at 0.08 lunar distances. The closest approach occurred at 04:35 UTC at about 31 565 km (0.000211 AU / 0.08 LD / 19 613 miles) from the surface of our planet. This…

Mysterious massive flash over Russia’s Urals

Mysterious massive flash over Russia’s Urals

A massive bright orange flash has lit up the sky over Russia's Sverdlovsk region in the Urals on November 14, 2014 at 13:39 UTC (18:39 local time). Videos of this "mysterious" explosion, which happened close to last year's Chelyabinsk event, have surfa

Newly released map shows frequency of small asteroid impacts

Newly released map shows frequency of small asteroid impacts

A map released yesterday by NASA's Near Earth Object (NEO) Observation Program reveals that small asteroids frequently enter and disintegrate in the Earth's atmosphere with random distribution around the globe. Released to the scientific community, the map visua

NPP sees aftermath of the Chelyabinsk meteor

NPP sees aftermath of the Chelyabinsk meteor

A meteor weighing 10,000 metric tons exploded only 23km above the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia on February 15, 2013. Unlike previous such events, this time scientists had the highly sensitive OMPS instrument on NPP to deliver unprecedented data and help them track and

Spectacular signals recorded from Chelyabinsk meteor blast waves

Spectacular signals recorded from Chelyabinsk meteor blast waves

The Chelyabinsk meteor exploded in the atmosphere over Russia at approximately 9:20 am local time on February 15, 2013. The meteor flew out of the blue, literally from the direction of the Sun where no telescope could see it, and took everyone by surprise. The blast…

Asteroid 2012 DA14 sequence and Chelyabinsk meteor trajectory

Asteroid 2012 DA14 sequence and Chelyabinsk meteor trajectory

This exceptional sequence made by the Virtual Telescope, shows asteroid 2012 DA14, soon after its close approach at about 27 500 km above the Earth surface. At the imaging time, it was moving at the amazing rate of 2450"/min (0.7deg/min). The robotic telescope…

Chelyabinsk event – 20m wide asteroid explodes above Russia, damaging 3 000 buildings and injuring over 1 500 people

Chelyabinsk event – 20m wide asteroid explodes above Russia, damaging 3 000 buildings and injuring over 1 500 people

A very bright flash was seen in the Chelyabinsk, Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions, Russia’s Republic of Bashkiria, as well as in northern Kazakhstan, early morning local time on February 15, 2013. The flash was accompanied by a very loud explosion. Officials mention meteor shower and say that it began after a large meteorite disintegrated above the Urals mountain range and partially burned up in the lower atmosphere – resulting in fragments falling earthwards throughout the Chelyabinsk region.