Asteroid 'Hit Northern Russia'

Ananova ^ | 10-4-2002

[blam]

Asteroid 'hit northern Russia'

A large meteorite is thought to have smashed into a forest in a remote area of Russia.

Residents in the town of Bodaibo, in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, saw a large luminous body fall from the sky.

They say the impact caused the ground to shake and made a sound like thunder.

Flashes of bright light could be seen above the impact site, which was a long way from any settlements according to the Russian newspaper Pravda.

"Locals felt a strong shock, which could be comparable to an earthquake," said the report. "In addition to that, the people also heard a thunder-like sound."

Asteroid expert Dr Benny Peiser, from Liverpool John Moore's University, said: "If the eyewitness accounts are confirmed, this fact of an earth tremor together with thunder-like explosive sounds would indicate a rather significant impact event."

He said the incident occurred on the same day as the US House of Representatives debated the need to search for smaller asteroids and the danger of mistaking impacts for nuclear attacks.

At least 30 times a year, asteroids smash into the Earth's atmosphere and explode with the force of a nuclear bomb.

These smaller asteroids, between 200 and 500 metres wide, could potentially demolish a city with a direct hit or cause tsunamis - giant waves - capable of wiping out entire coastal areas if they land in the ocean.

Astronomers estimate there could be between 900 and 1,300 large asteroids measuring one kilometre or more in our part of the solar system, while the number of smaller bodies could amount to 50,000.

Story filed: 18:25 Friday 4th October 2002

[andy_card]

Are there any astronomers in our ranks? This stat seems very high. I would think that if 30 astronds hit with this sort of impact each year that a city would have disappeared by now.

Because cities are somewhat rare in the upper atmosphere, where most of these blasts occur. And even if 30 atomic blast-sized asteroid explosions occured randomly each year on the Earth's surface, which isn't the case, the odds of them blowing up in a densely populated area are extraordinarily remote.

[Chad Fairbanks]

So which is it? An asteroid, or a meteorite?

[Mulder]

The stone passed to the prophet Mohammed who built it into the wall of the Ka'ba

Sure the "to" really isn't "from"?

[Young Werther]

Here is a link I found regarding "snowball" comets and the theory that our oceans are the result of a continuous cometary bombardment.

Sone Cones at the State Fair?

[templar]

I would think that if 30 astronds hit with this sort of impact each year that a city would have disappeared by now.

I would think that the equivalent of 30 nukes a year going off in the atmosphere would be rather more noticeable than it is, wouldn't it?

[Focault's Pendulum]

Or New Joisey........

On the Trenton NJDMV offices to be more precise.

Private gripe

[Diddle E. Squat]

"Someone set us up the asteroid"?

[fire and forget]

Most of the impacts are absorbed in the atmosphere.

[blam]

"So which is it? An asteroid, or a meteorite?"

Sounds like the jury is still out, huh?

[CyberAnt]

I keep telling you guys, God throws rocks!

[blam]

"I would think that the equivalent of 30 nukes a year going off in the atmosphere would be rather more noticeable than it is, wouldn't it?"

I actually posted a thread on one that exploded off the California coast last year.

[Robert A Cook PE]

I'm a little skeptical of this "nuclear-sized impact" 30 times a year ....

I've been reading about these since hte early 60's and have neever seen that number before.....

[VadeRetro]

Oh, kewl! Feels like 1908 all over again. Did they see that they missed and fired another shot? Hmmmm. We could put it on a range ring--OK, range sphere if we allow for the light propagation speed. 94 years since 1908, divide by two for the one-way distance. Somebody 47 light years away is shooting at Siberia.

[bonesmccoy]

One point... An asteroid is a larger object than a meteor. Meteorites routinely hit Earth, but large events seldom occur in a person's lifetime. However, given the larger scope of human development in our lifetimes, chances are increasing that meteorities could cause problems. The Tunguska event has been theorized to be either cometary debris or a meteorite. Meteor strikes should have created substantial debris and crating. If memory serves, scientists were unable to locate an impact site. Thus, the cometary explanation (being ice and methane) surfaced.

[JoeSchem]

I would think that the equivalent of 30 nukes a year going off in the atmosphere would be rather more noticeable than it is, wouldn't it?

There was an account, back in the seventies I believe, of airline passengers near Alaska noticing a huge explosion out their windows. There were no other reports. So yes, it is amazing that such things can happen without our taking greater notice.

[PatrickHenry]

These things shouldn't be happening in an intelligently designed universe.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Well, when the headline reads asteroid, and the first sentence of the article says Meteorite, well, it was just a question crying out to be asked.... :0)

[MinuteGal]

This omen should not flim-flam us
I read it first in Nostradamus.

Leni

[fourdeuce82d]

These things shouldn't be happening in an intelligently designed universe.

neither should Barry Manilow, rap, or Rosie O'Donell.

[Sabertooth]

These things shouldn't be happening in an intelligently designed universe.

Why is that?