Падение метеорита 15 февраля 2013 года на Урале

ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ КОСМИЧЕСКОЕ АГЕНТСТВО (РОСКОСМОС)| Новости

15 февраля зафиксировано падение космического объекта на территории города Челябинска // www.federalspace.ru

 

О ситуации с падением космического объекта на территории Челябинской области
:: 15.02.2013

15 февраля зафиксировано падение космического объекта на территории города Челябинска.

По предварительной оценке это космический объект нетехногенного происхождения и квалифицируется как метеорит, двигавшийся со скоростью около 30 км/с по низкой траектории.

По имеющимся на сегодня данным, объект не был зафиксирован как российскими, так и зарубежными наземными средствами наблюдения космического пространства, ввиду особых характеристик его движения.

Вхождение объектов подобного рода в атмосферу является случайным и в настоящее время труднопредсказуемым.

Пресс-служба Роскосмоса

 

Russian meteorite strike highlights asteroid danger

Friday's Russian meteorite strike highlights the need for a global strategy to deal with dangerous asteroids // www.guardian.co.uk

 

The Russian Academy of Sciences estimate the fireball that streaked over the Ural mountains on Friday morning weighed about 10 tons. The speed of entry was at least 54,000 kilometres per hour (33,000 mph) and it shattered about 30-50 kilometres (18-32 miles) above ground, showering meteorites that caused damage over a wide area.

The shockwave from the fireball's supersonic passage through the atmosphere broke windows and set off car alarms.

 

Astronomers feel confident that they know the whereabouts of every asteroid larger than 30 kilometres. Such space rocks have been the priority because they have the potential to cause global catastrophe and mass extinction events should they hit us. None are known to pose a threat.

Go down to objects sized one kilometre and astronomers think they know about 90-95% of them. However, at 50 metres, the size of 2012 DA14, the uncertainties really begin. Astronomers estimate that they know only 2 percent of these.

There could be hundreds of thousands of these smaller asteroids waiting to be discovered. Were something of this size to strike the Earth, it would devastate an area the size of larger than London.

 

The object that struck above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on Friday morning was smaller still, probably just 10 metres across.

 

The European Space Agency is involved in a £6m project to build a special survey telescope to find small asteroids. Known as a Fly-Eye telescope, it works in the same way as an insect's compound eye.

The telescope will use multiple cameras to build up a full picture of the sky. The first idea to build such a telescope was published way back in 1897 but it proved too difficult with the technology of the 19th century. Now, a prototype is under construction in Italy. The final telescope could be located on Mt Teide, Tenerife.

In Hawaii, the Pan-STARRS project uses the world's largest digital camera, containing 1,400 Megapixels, to scan the sky for asteroids larger than 300 metres in size. That's about six times larger than 2012 DA14, and 30 times larger than Friday's Russian meteor. Such asteroids would be capable of devastating whole regions of a country were they to hit Earth.