Nasa detects ‘huge’ meteor explosion over Earth
The blast was around ten times more powerful than Hiroshima atomic bomb
A huge meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere in December and exploded with ten times the force of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, Nasa has revealed.
The blast was the second-largest of its kind in the past century, behind a meteor that exploded over the Russian region of Chelyabinsk six years ago, reports Sky News.
But the recent explosion went largely unnoticed because it occurred above the Bering Sea, off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in northern Russia, says the BBC.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The meteor measured “several metres in diameter” and entered the atmosphere on 18 December at a speed of 32km/s (71,600mph) on a “steep trajectory of seven degrees”, the broadcaster says.
It then exploded about 16 miles above the Earth’s surface, with an impact energy of 173 kilotonnes.
According to Lindley Johnson, Nasa’s planetary defence officer, the meteor exploded near a flight route commonly used by commercial airlines.
Researchers are now quizzing airlines about whether they witnessed the explosion.
Meteorites and asteroids of various sizes “pelt the Earth on a regular basis” but are usually too small to “cause widespread destruction”, the Daily Express notes.
The most recent strike to cause significant damage was that in Chelyabinsk, which was hit by a meteor measuring around 20 metres in diameter on 15 February 2013.
The blast damaged more than 7,000 buildings and injured around 1,000 people, many of whom were standing near windows to record the meteor on their phones.
It was the largest such event since 1908, where a meteor destroyed 770 square miles of Siberian forest, says Sky.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Starliner: What went wrong?
Today's Big Question Boeing spacecraft has had a 'long, difficult road'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Boeing, SpaceX successfully test key rockets
Speed Read Boeing’s Starliner docked at the ISS and SpaceX completed its fourth test launch of its Starship spacecraft
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nasa reveals first findings from asteroid that could explain origins of life
Speed Read Sample from Bennu has been found to contain an abundance of water and carbon
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
How worried we should be about space debris
feature As part of a rocket washes up in Australia scientists warn ‘critical mass’ of orbital junk could only be decades away
By The Week Staff Published
-
What is NASA's Artemis program?
Speed Read NASA's ambitious Artemis program will eventually create a base on the moon — and lay the foundations for manned missions to Mars
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
SpaceX launches 1st all-civilian crew into orbit
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Is SpaceX's Inspiration4 really an inspiration?
Talking Point
By Jeva Lange Published
-
Jeff Bezos' Promethean impulse
Talking Point
By Damon Linker Published