What is the Chelyabinsk meteor?
Q: What is the Chelyabinsk meteor?
A: The Chelyabinsk meteor was an event that happened on 15 February 2013 over Chelyabinsk, Russia. It was a meteor moving at a speed of about 18 km/s (40,000 mph) and it exploded in the air over Chelyabinsk Oblast.
Q: How powerful was the energy released from the explosion?
A: The total energy released from the explosion was equivalent to nearly 500 kilotons of TNT (2.1 PJ), which would make it 20–30 times more powerful than the atomic bombs detonated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Q: How many people were injured by this event?
A: About 1,500 people were injured, mainly by glass from windows shattered by the shock wave; two were reported in serious condition.
Q: How far away could people see or feel this event?
A: People could see as far away as Kazakhstan and felt intense heat from the fireball.
Q: Is this related to an asteroid that was near Earth on that day?
A: No, it is not related to an asteroid that was also near Earth on that day.
Q: Was there any deaths caused by this event?
A: No deaths have been reported due to this event.
Q: How does this compare with other similar events like Tunguska 1908?
A: The Chelyabinsk meteor is the largest object known to have entered Earth's atmosphere since 1908 Tunguska event, and is also the only such event known to have resulted in a large number of injuries.
