The 2013 Siberian Fireball

By Craig: I don't know what it is about Siberia. For some reason, perhaps known only to the Tungus God, Ogdy, another great fireball has streaked across the sky. Unlike the great Tunguska fireball of 1908, or the Sikhote-Alin fireball of 1947 this one was caught on camera by numerous people. Of course, in 1908 and 1947 cameras with the ability to instantaneously capture an event as it was happening were rare and almost non existent. The 2013 meteor met it's demise over the Ural mountains in Southern Siberia.

2013 Siberian Meteor

                                                            1947 Sikhote-Alin Meteor

                                                              1908 Tunguska Event

      The meteor broke apart in the stratosphere about 25 miles above the earth's surface early this morning. Witness' state that the fireball was as bright as the sun, and footage confirms these reports. As of now it is not certain how large the meteor was, but some sources including the Russian Academy of Science say that it was perhaps 10 tonnes, and about 50 feet long. It is believed that the meteor was of the iron type. In the city of Chelyabinsk the shock wave blew out windows in buildings causing numerous injuries. A large fragment of the meteorite was thought to have landed in a lake near the town of Chebarkul, not far from Chelyabinsk. According to the BBC, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a rescue and recovery party to assist people who have been effected by the blast. In a startling coincidence (or perhaps not) asteroid 2012DA, a moderate size near-earth object measuring about 150 feet across, passed within 17,000 miles from the earth today.

www.fireballhistory.com