Stunning footage of meteorite results from distrust of the Russian government
Share This article
Meteorite impacts are much more common than we think, with a handful of them happening every year. However, it’s much more rare when one the size of the meteorite that crashed down in Russia this morning hits, and even more rare when it gets captured on film by multiple cameras.
Considering the majority of the planet is free of human habitation, and even more of it is without camera coverage, it’s extremely rare to capture footage of a large meteorite crashing to Earth. Thanks to a widespread distrust of the Russian government, specifically law enforcement, civilians have taken to installing dash cams in the cars to capture anything problematic that might happen when on the road.
Earlier this morning, at around 12 AM ET, a number of those dash cams managed to capture footage of a meteorite breaking into the planet’s atmosphere. The majority of the footage is nothing short of stunning, and due to the scene’s strikingly similarity popular cinema, late-night viewers wouldn’t be faulted to thinking it was fake.
The below video is one of the best captures that has surfaced (so far) of the meteorite burning through the sky…
In the montage just about every angle (other than directly above or below) of the meteorite streaking through the sky is showcased. Reports say that people in the regions of Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, and Tyumen heard an explosion and saw a fireball flying across the sky. The impact caused over 1,000 injuries — with that number rising as the day goes on — mainly resulting from concussions caused by the shockwave and shattering glass. Reports also state that over 3,000 buildings have sustained some kind of damage due to the meteorite.
Aside from striking visuals, another notable part of the affair is that, considering the meteorite could’ve been mistaken for a missile or even a larger impact event painted as more severe than it actually was (thanks again, movies), the drivers of the cars that captured the footage barely made any type of panic-related noises. Just listen to the explosion:
Russian space agency Roscosmos said the meteorite was traveling at around 19 miles per second, and the smoke trail it left in the sky was visible from around 125 miles away.
If you have been following end-of-the-world news, an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool will be passing by Earth today, just missing our humble space rock by 17,200 miles. Common sense would dictate that the Russian meteorite and the asteroid would be related in some way, but the European Space Agency has confirmed that they are not. Reportedly, astronomers weren’t aware of the meteorite with enough time to warn people, as these meteorites are generally too small to be noticed when they’re far enough out in space to provide a proper warning.