By Matthew Beil, Staff Writer
A small meteorite exploded near the Russian town of Chelyabinsk, just as DA14, an asteroid that is 150 feet wide was set to pass nearby earth. The meteorite did not break off of DA14, it was the remains of a much smaller object that entered earth’s atmosphere. The importance of this is that this meteorite was one of the countless number of small space debris that is not tracked.
What is an asteroid? An asteroid is the name given to an object of space debris that is less than the size of planet, does not have the characteristics of a comet, and are larger than meteoroids. A comet is comprised of ice, dust and rock, and is held together by that ice. The tail a comet has is created by solar radiation and solar wind. A meteor is an object that enters earth’s atmosphere. Shooting stars are created by these objects burning up in the atmosphere. However, should the meteor be of sufficient mass, which would allow it to survive entering the atmosphere and impact the ground, it is called a meteorite.
The object that exploded near the town of Chelyabinsk, exploded twenty miles above the ground. This is what is called an air burst, and results from the gases inside the meteor creating enough pressure to burst it open. The object was estimated to be about 20 meters wide, which is just under 70 feet. The explosion rattled buildings, caused roofs to collapse, and shattered windows. Reports on injured range from 500 to 1,000. 100 have been hospitalized.
This is not the first time Russia has been hit by a meteorite of significant size. On June 30, 1908, a meteor that was estimated at 100 wide (328 feet) detonated five kilometers to ten kilometers above the Siberian forest near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. This impact flattened 770 square miles of forest which is about half the size of Rhode Island.
As far as things entering Earth’s atmosphere, it occurs daily. The atmosphere protects us from most of this space debris. This protection is not always 100 percent effective so things do get through. However, if one wants to see what happens to a celestial body without a protective atmosphere, simply look up at the large white thing in the night sky. The moon has no protective atmosphere and is scarred with impacts. In fact, it is believed that the moon was created by a large celestial body colliding with Earth back when Earth had first formed. Scientists also have a theory that life may have actually been brought to Earth by a meteor, though there is no definitive evidence for it.
These events are poignant reminders of two things. First, though we human beings think ourselves so big and grand, we are nothing but an atomic spec in the eyes of the universe. Second, it brings up the importance of space exploration and technologies aimed at preventing large celestial objects from colliding with earth. NASA is tracking over 21,000 objects that pose a threat to earth should they collide. There is a very real threat to all life on earth from these large space objects. However, there is no large dangerous object that could pose a threat in the near future. Yet we should always be looking for ways to avert potential collisions.
