> Chelyabinsk meteorite
Learn the history of the fall Chelyabinsk meteorite: description and characteristics of the object with a photo, force of impact, where it fell, size, where it came from, composition, age.
Five years have passed since the people of South Urals witnessed a cosmic cataclysm - the fall Chelyabinsk meteorite, which became the first case in modern history that caused significant damage to the local population.
The asteroid fell in 2013, on February 15. At first, it seemed to the South Urals that an “obscure object” had exploded; many saw strange lightning lighting up the sky. This is the conclusion reached by scientists who studied this incident for a year.
Data on the Chelyabinsk meteorite
A fairly ordinary comet fell in an area near Chelyabinsk. Falls of space objects of precisely this nature occur once every century. Although, according to other sources, they happen repeatedly, on average up to 5 times every 100 years. According to scientists, comets with a size of about 10 m fly into the atmosphere of our Earth approximately once a year, which is 2 times larger than the Chelyabinsk meteorite, but this often happens over regions with a small population or over the oceans. Moreover, comets burn up and collapse at great heights, without causing any damage.
Before the fall, the mass of the Chelyabinsk aerolite was from 7 to 13 thousand tons, and its parameters supposedly reached 19.8 m. After analyzing, scientists found out that only about 0.05% of the initial mass fell to the surface of the earth, that’s 4-6 tons. Currently, a little more than one ton has been collected from this amount, including one of the large fragments of aerolite weighing 654 kg, raised from the bottom of Chebarkul Lake.
A study of the Chelyabinsk maetorite based on geochemical parameters revealed that it belongs to the type of ordinary chondrites of class LL5. This is the most common subgroup of stony meteorites. All currently discovered meteorites, about 90%, are chondrites. They got their name due to the presence of chondrules in them - spherical fused formations with a diameter of 1 mm.
Indications from infrasound stations indicate that in the minute of strong braking of the Chelyabinsk aerolite, when approximately 90 km remained to the ground, a powerful explosion occurred with a force equal to the TNT equivalent of 470-570 kilotons, which is 20-30 times stronger than the atomic explosion in Hiroshima, but in terms of explosive power it is inferior to the fall of the Tunguska meteorite (approximately from 10 to 50 megatons) by more than 10 times.
The fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite immediately created a sensation both in time and place. In modern history, this space object is the first meteorite to fall into such a densely populated area, resulting in significant damage. So, during the meteorite explosion, the windows of more than 7 thousand houses were broken, more than one and a half thousand people sought medical help, of which 112 were hospitalized.
In addition to significant damage, the meteorite also brought positive results. This event is the best documented event to date. In addition, one video camera recorded the phase of the fall of one of the large fragments of the asteroid into Lake Chebarkul.
Where did the Chelyabinsk meteorite come from?
For scientists, this question was not particularly difficult. It emerged from our solar system's main asteroid belt, a zone in the middle of the orbits of Jupiter and Mars where the paths of most small bodies lie. The orbits of some of them, for example, the asteroids of the Aten or Apollo group, are elongated and can pass through the orbit of the Earth.
Astronomers were able to quite accurately determine the flight trajectory of the Chelyabinsk resident, thanks to many photo and video recordings, as well as satellite photographs that captured the fall. Then astronomers continued the path of the meteorite in the opposite direction, beyond the atmosphere, in order to build the complete orbit of this object.
Several groups of astronomers tried to determine the path of the Chelyabinsk meteorite before it hit the Earth. According to their calculations, it can be seen that the semimajor axis of the orbit of the fallen meteorite was approximately 1.76 AU. (astronomical unit), this is the average radius of the Earth's orbit; the point of the orbit closest to the Sun - perihelion, was at a distance of 0.74 AU, and the point most distant from the Sun - aphelion, or apohelion, was at 2.6 AU.
These figures allowed scientists to try to find the Chelyabinsk meteorite in astronomical catalogs of already identified small space objects. It is clear that most of the previously identified asteroids, after some time, “fall out of sight” again, and then some of the “lost” ones manage to be “discovered” a second time. Astronomers did not reject this option, that the fallen meteorite may be the “lost one.”
Relatives of the Chelyabinsk meteorite
Although complete similarities were not revealed during the search, astronomers still found a number of probable “relatives” of the asteroid from Chelyabinsk. Scientists from Spain Raul and Carlos de la Fluente Marcos, having calculated all the variations in the orbits of the “Chelyabinsk”, found its supposed forefather - asteroid 2011 EO40. In their opinion, the Chelyabinsk meteorite broke away from it for about 20-40 thousand years.
Another team (Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) led by Jiri Borovička, having calculated the glide path of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, found that it is very similar to the orbit of asteroid 86039 (1999 NC43) with a size of 2.2 km. For example, the semimajor axis of the orbit of both objects is 1.72 and 1.75 AU, and the perihelion distance is 0.738 and 0.74.
The difficult life path of the Chelyabinsk meteorite
Based on the fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite that fell to the surface of the earth, scientists “determined” its life history. It turns out that the Chelyabinsk meteorite is the same age as our solar system. When studying the proportions of uranium and lead isotopes, it was found that it is approximately 4.45 billion years old.
His difficult biography is indicated by dark threads in the thickness of the meteorite. They arose when substances that got inside as a result of a strong impact melted. This shows that approximately 290 million years ago this asteroid survived a powerful collision with some kind of space object.
According to scientists from the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry named after. Vernadsky RAS, the collision took approximately several minutes. This is indicated by leaks of iron nuclei that did not have time to completely melt.
At the same time, scientists from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS (Institute of Geology and Mineralogy) do not reject the fact that traces of melting may have appeared due to the excessive proximity of the cosmic body to the Sun.
A rather ordinary cosmic body fell in the Chelyabinsk region. Events of this magnitude occur once every 100 years, and according to some data more often, up to five times a century. Scientists believe that bodies about ten meters in size enter the Earth's atmosphere about once a year, but this happens most often over the oceans or over sparsely populated regions. Such bodies explode and burn at high altitudes without causing any harm.
The size of the Chelyabinsk asteroid before the fall was about 19.8 meters, and its mass was from 7 thousand to 13 thousand tons. According to scientists, a total of 4 to 6 tons fell to the ground, that is, about 0.05% of the original mass. Of this amount, no more than 1 ton has been collected at the moment, taking into account the largest fragment weighing 654 kilograms, raised from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul.
Geochemical analysis showed that the Chelyabinsk space object belongs to the type of ordinary chondrites of class LL5. Chondrites are one of the most common types of stony meteorites; about 87% of all meteorites found belong to this type. They are distinguished by the presence in the thickness of rounded millimeter-sized grains of chondrules, which consist of partially melted substance.
Let us remind you that a meteorite explosion occurred on February 15, 2013 years at an altitude of 23.3 kilometers, and its power was 30 times greater than the force of the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima.
A meteorite fell in the Southern Urals at dawn on February 15, 2013 at approximately 9:25 local time. The meteorite exploded over Chelyabinsk at an altitude of 60-70 km. The flight of the car was observed in the Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Orenburg and Tyumen regions of Russia, as well as in the northern regions of Kazakhstan.
A few days earlier, on February 11, a large fireball was also recorded flying over the territory of Bashkiria in the Urals. According to the British Royal Astronomical Society classification, it is an asteroid. Website: meteorite2013.ru Location: Russia
NASA estimated the power of the Chelyabinsk meteorite
The 17-meter-long meteorite, whose mass was about 10 thousand tons, entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 64 thousand kilometers per hour. The meteorite exploded at an altitude of 19 to 24 kilometers.
A about the Chelyabinsk meteorite are somewhat different from those given earlier by the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to Russian experts, the meteorite entered the atmosphere at a speed of 54 thousand kilometers per hour and exploded at an altitude of 30-50 kilometers.
Stone from the sky.
Let's remember what scientists found out. An anomalous phenomenon in the sky over the Chelyabinsk region turned out to be a fireball weighing about 1 kilogram. As reported at the Kourovka Observatory, the appearance of a single object of this size in the Earth’s atmosphere was impossible to predict.
The first version of what was happening was a plane crash - the military flight unit near Chelyabinsk had already become quite annoying to the natives with its noisy flights over the city, and at first the locals decided that it was another SU-24 or its weapons that had screwed up. Then they began to think about the missile - which, of course, was facilitated by people close to the missile business, air defense troops and other armchair experts. boldly asserting that it was a rocket flying from a local test site.
The patriots also claimed that the missile was shot down by vigilant military personnel, who knew everything in advance, but did not tell anyone. however, a meteorite flying at a speed of under 20 km/s cannot be shot down - even the S-400 can shoot down targets at a speed of no more than 4.8 km/s. And even if it could, the mass of a rocket versus the mass of a meteorite is like firing a “murka” at a locomotive.
Sources: ria.ru, ru.tsn.ua, vk.com, korrespondent.net, lurkmore.to
Peter Gourkos - the mystery of psychometry
Underwater UFO bases
Britannic - the younger brother of the Titanic
Anomalous zone of the Pacific Ocean
Jerusalem. Gate of the old city
Damascus (Shechem, Column) - the most beautiful and richly decorated, lead to the Muslim quarter. From them the road to Damascus and Nablus begins. ...
gold ring of Russia
Foreign tourists have always been interested in the strange Russian flavor. Well, where can you fully enjoy the Russian spirit and local traditions, if not...
Time jumps
Time is a concept that eludes human understanding. One of its greatest secrets is travel to other eras. Horse racing...
The world's largest airplanes
An-225 Mriya. In total, 2 aircraft were laid down, of which only one was completed. After the collapse of the USSR, the engines were removed from the operating aircraft, and for a long time...
The effect of hypnosis on a person
In modern medical practice and psychology, hypnosis is becoming increasingly widespread - a special technique for influencing human consciousness. The effect of hypnosis on...
Facial skin care
Currently, the attitude towards a person in most cases is determined by his appearance, neatness and condition of his facial skin. After all...
How is damask steel made?
Prepare an oven whose temperature must be maintained at 1200 degrees. For this task, you can build a small stone stove yourself. ...
Exactly five years ago, on February 15, 2013, residents of the Chelyabinsk region saw a bright flash in the sky. Many mistook it for a fallen plane or satellite and did not immediately recognize that a meteorite had exploded over the region. It split into dozens of fragments, the search for which is still ongoing. Leading researcher at the Department of Lunar and Planetary Research at the Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, Vladimir Busarev, told MIR 24 about why the Chelyabinsk meteorite miraculously survived and how to behave if you suddenly find a fragment of a cosmic body.
- Every year thousands of meteorites fall to Earth. Why did Chelyabinsk turn out to be so popular?
This is the first time we have observed a case where an ordinary chondrite fell to Earth, and in such a large volume. The weight of the fragments that reached the Earth exceeded 650 kilograms. This is a fairly rare type of meteorite, which is why it is considered a find. It is also important that the Chelyabinsk meteorite was found relatively quickly - six months after the fall, and began to be studied immediately. Stones that have lain for some time on the surface of the Earth have less value. They have definitely undergone changes that are characteristic only of terrestrial conditions, but not of cosmic matter. Thus, on the largest fragment of a meteorite that fell into Lake Chebarkul, living microorganisms of terrestrial origin were discovered. But it cannot be said that this prevented research.
- How did these bacteria get there?
The largest fragment of the meteorite lay at the bottom of the lake for six months. It turned out that it had pores through which it was saturated with earthly water, and along with it bacteria penetrated the surface of the fragment. However, we cannot say that the origin of microorganisms is extraterrestrial, because we are dealing with a substance that was contaminated under terrestrial conditions. The Chelyabinsk meteorite has no signs of extraterrestrial life. This can be said with complete certainty, even though not all the fragments have yet been recovered from the bottom of the lake.
- Colleagues from the Ural University presented you with a sample of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. Tell us about it.
It is small, weighing several tens of grams. We studied it in laboratory conditions. We looked at its reflective characteristics and composition of the substance. We were convinced that it was a stone meteorite, it consists of the so-called ordinary chondrite. The iron content in it is small, no more than 20 percent. These types of stony meteorites are quite rare. They have poor "survivability" because they are less able to survive passage through the earth's atmosphere. That is, they are very fragile. In general, all known meteorites have been studied by us only a quarter. Therefore, space projects to deliver samples from the Moon or Mars are of great interest. Only original cosmic matter can provide complete information about the origin of a particular planet in the solar system or an asteroid.
- Was it because of this fragility that the explosion occurred?
Yes, from the fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite it is clear that its body is not monolithic, it cracked while flying towards the Earth. If the body had been monolithic, perhaps the explosion would not have occurred, and a fragment of a larger mass would have fallen onto the earth's surface. Eyewitnesses said they heard a series of explosions, but in fact there was only one explosion. The sound simply had a whole spectrum of waves. The acoustic effect was like thunder: at first the sound was weak, then it intensified. People thought there were several explosions. The fact is that meteorite fragments entered the atmosphere at supersonic speed, and there were many of these fragments. This explains the unusual sound effects.
- Why was the meteorite called Chelyabinsk and not Chebarkul?
Initially they wanted to call it Chebarkul. But the fact is that only the largest fragment of a meteorite fell in Chebarkul. The substance, a fragment of which is the Chelyabinsk meteorite, scattered beyond the boundaries of this populated area over a fairly large area. Therefore, the scientific community decided to emphasize in the title that the fall of the cosmic body occurred in the Chelyabinsk region and did not concern only Chebarkul.
- What is known about the cosmic body from which the Chelyabinsk meteorite broke off?
It is approximately 4.5 billion years old. About 300 million years ago it collided with other cosmic bodies. A strong collision led to fragmentation and the formation of a secondary body, which, in turn, was also fragmented. The fact of the collision is confirmed by jadeite, a greenish mineral that is part of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. It only forms under high temperatures and pressure, and is a bit like jade, a mineral used to make jewelry.
Particularly enterprising residents of Chelyabinsk have repeatedly tried to sell fragments of the famous meteorite. How do you feel about this behavior?
Scientists, in principle, have a negative attitude towards this type of fraud and urge all people who find meteorites to donate them for research. Thus, fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite must first be given to the Chelyabinsk State University. Also in Moscow, at the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, there is a committee on meteorites. We must understand that scientists always have the opportunity to obtain some valuable information about meteorites. Any such finds are of scientific interest to us, and the state is ready to pay for them.
- Which of the meteorites that fell in Russia is considered the most mysterious?
Perhaps Tunguska. There was no debris left from it, so no one knows exactly what this meteorite was. I can assume that it was a meteorite of a primitive icy composition. The sudden heating in the Earth's atmosphere led to a thermal explosion. If you remember, this explosion was accompanied by a powerful glow. It was as strong as a nuclear explosion. There is still an assumption that it was not a meteorite, but a nuclear explosion. But this is not so, because no products of thermonuclear reactions were found at the site. You can learn more about the Tunguska meteorite, but to do this you need to study a large area in the permafrost of the impenetrable taiga using highly sensitive equipment. This is quite difficult to organize. In addition, if any isotopes are discovered there, they need to be studied immediately on the spot. Transporting them is very difficult. If we could conduct a long-term expedition, we would learn something new about the Tunguska meteorite.
At the time of entry into the Earth's atmosphere, the Chelyabinsk meteorite weighed 13 thousand tons and was the size of a seven-story building. Among the meteorites that fell in Russia, it became the largest after Tunguska. Scientists have determined that the meteorite entered the atmosphere at a speed of 19 kilometers per second. Some of the fragments, approaching the Earth, collapsed and burned in the atmosphere. The shock wave knocked out glass in many buildings and destroyed the cladding. About a thousand people received injuries of varying severity. The material damage to the region from the meteorite fall exceeded a billion rubles. The largest fragment of the meteorite became an exhibit at the State Historical Museum of the Southern Urals. Everyone can touch it.
Most often, meteorites fall in Antarctica. According to experts, there are about 700 thousand of them scattered on the mainland. The largest meteorite is called Goba, it was discovered in Namibia in 1920. Its weight exceeds 60 tons.
An early February morning in 2013 suddenly became tragic for 1,613 residents of Chelyabinsk and its environs. There has never been such a large number of people affected by a falling meteorite in the history of the Earth's population. During the wave, windows were broken in many buildings, trees were broken and people were injured to varying degrees, as a result of which about 1,613 people were recognized as victims, of which, according to various sources, from 50 to 100 people were hospitalized. People who watched the meteorite fall that morning were simply shocked by the events taking place. The first versions of what was happening sounded like: a plane crash, a rocket crash, and even an alien attack...
At the moment, the picture of the events of that tragic morning has been completely restored and it is reliably known when and where the meteorite fell in Chelyabinsk.
How it was
At approximately 9 a.m. on February 15, this “unexpected guest” appeared high in the sky above Chelyabinsk, resulting in a state of emergency being declared in Chelyabinsk and its surrounding areas. Previously, the same meteorite was observed by residents of other regions of the Russian Federation, but they were much luckier than the residents of Chelyabinsk, because it simply flew past them without causing absolutely any harm. For example, at 7.15 Moscow time or at 9.15 local time it was seen by residents of the Aktobe and Kostanay regions of Kazakhstan, and residents of Orenburg observed this amazing phenomenon at 7.21 Moscow time. This meteorite was also clearly visible in Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Tyumen and their environs, and even 750 km from the crash site in the village of Prosvet, Volzhsky district, Samara region.
Bright flash
According to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a meteorite weighing about 10 tons and with a diameter of approximately 17 meters, with a speed of 17 km/s, entered the Earth's atmosphere and after 32 seconds split into many parts. The destruction of the meteorite was accompanied by a series of explosions, the first of three explosions was the most powerful and caused the destruction. It was a bright flash, it lasted about five seconds, and a minute later it came to Earth in the form of a destructive wave. According to scientists, the destruction of the meteorite led to the release of energy, which was approximately equal to 100 to 500 kilotons of TNT equivalent. The center of the explosion was not the city of Chelyabinsk itself, but its region, which is located slightly to the south and is called Yemanzhelinsk - Yuzhnouralsk.
Places where fragments fell
As a result of research carried out by a specially created group, four places were discovered where meteorite fragments were supposed to be located. The first two places are located in the Chebarkul district of the Chelyabinsk region, the third in the Zlatoust district, and the fourth in the area of Lake Chebarkul. The information that the meteorite was located in the lake was confirmed by fishermen who were at the crash site. From their stories, members of the search group learned that at the moment the meteorite fell into the lake, a column of water and ice about 3-4 meters high rose from it.
Second largest after Tunguska
As a result of the work carried out in the area of Yemanzhelinsk and the village of Travniki, about a hundred fragments were found, and about 3 kg of fragments were collected in the lake area. All of them are currently being studied by scientists, according to whom, the meteorite that fell in Chelyabinsk is the second largest in size after the Tunguska meteorite that fell on Russian territory on June 30, 1908.
Full video from the scene of the event
MOSCOW, February 14 – RIA Novosti. A year ago, on February 15, 2013, residents of the southern Urals witnessed a cosmic catastrophe - the fall of an asteroid, which was the first such event in history to cause serious damage to people.
In the first moments, residents of the region spoke about the explosion of an “unknown object” and strange flashes. Scientists spent a whole year studying this event, what they managed to find out at this point - read the RIA Novosti review.
What was it?
A rather ordinary cosmic body fell in the Chelyabinsk region. Events of this magnitude occur once every 100 years, and according to some data, more often, up to five times a century. Scientists believe that bodies approximately ten meters in size (about half the size of the Chelyabinsk body) enter the Earth's atmosphere about once a year, but this happens most often over the oceans or over sparsely populated regions. Such bodies explode and burn at high altitudes without causing any harm.
The size of the Chelyabinsk asteroid before the fall was about 19.8 meters, and its mass was from 7 thousand to 13 thousand tons. According to scientists, a total of 4 to 6 tons fell to the ground, that is, about 0.05% of the original mass. Of this amount, no more than 1 ton has been collected at the moment, taking into account the largest fragment weighing 654 kilograms, raised from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul.
Geochemical analysis showed that the Chelyabinsk space object belongs to the type of ordinary chondrites of class LL5. Chondrites are one of the most common types of stony meteorites; about 87% of all meteorites found belong to this type. They are distinguished by the presence in the thickness of rounded grains of millimeter size - chondrules, which consist of partially melted substance.
Expert: the largest fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite weighs 654 kgThe exact weight of the largest fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, which was recovered from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul in mid-October 2013, was 654 kg, the director of the company that carried out the operation to lift the meteorite told reporters.Data from infrasound stations indicate that the power of the explosion that occurred during the sharp deceleration of the Chelyabinsk asteroid at an altitude of about 90 kilometers ranged from 470 to 570 kilotons of TNT - this is 20-30 times more powerful than the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima, but more than ten times less than the power of the explosion at the time of the Tunguska disaster (from 10 to 50 megatons).
What made this fall unique was the place and time. This is the first time in history that a large meteorite has fallen in a densely populated area, so never before has a meteorite fallen caused such serious damage - 1.6 thousand people turned to doctors, 112 were hospitalized, windows were broken in 7.3 thousand buildings.
Thanks to this, scientists have obtained a huge amount of data about the event - it is the best documented meteorite fall. As it turned out later, one of the video cameras even captured the moment the largest fragment fell into Lake Chebarkul.
Where did this come from?
Scientists answered this question almost immediately: from the main asteroid belt of the Solar System, the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where the trajectories of many small bodies pass. The orbits of some of them, in particular, the Apollo and Aten group asteroids, are elongated and can cross the Earth's orbit.
Thanks to the fact that the flight of the Chelyabinsk bolide was recorded on many videos and photographs, including satellite ones, astronomers could fairly accurately restore its trajectory, and then try to continue this line back, beyond the atmosphere, to build the orbit of this body.
Attempts to restore the trajectory of the Chelyabinsk body before the collision with the Earth were made by different groups of astronomers. Their calculations showed that the semimajor axis of the Chelyabinsk asteroid’s orbit was about 1.76 astronomical units (the average radius of the Earth’s orbit), perihelion (the point of the orbit closest to the Sun) was at a distance of 0.74 units, aphelion (the most distant point) - at 2 ,6 units.
With this data in hand, scientists tried to find the Chelyabinsk asteroid in catalogs of previously discovered small bodies. It is known that many already discovered asteroids are “lost” again after some time, and some of them are discovered twice. Scientists did not rule out that the Chelyabinsk object belonged to such “lost” bodies.
His relatives
Although an exact match could not be found, scientists have found several possible “relatives” of the “Chelyabinsk resident.” Jiri Borovichka's team from the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences calculated the trajectory of the Chelyabinsk body and found that it is very similar to the orbit of the 2.2-kilometer asteroid 86039 (1999 NC43). In particular, the semimajor axis of the orbit of both bodies is 1.72 and 1.75 astronomical units, the perihelion distance is 0.738 and 0.74.
Scientists do not know why fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite are different colorsThe meteorite, later named "Chelyabinsk", fell on February 15, 2013. Scientists still cannot figure out why some meteorite fragments are completely dark, while others are light inside.Fragments of the Chelyabinsk cosmic body that fell to earth “told” scientists the story of its life. It turned out that the Chelyabinsk asteroid is the same age as the Solar System. Analysis of lead and uranium isotope ratios showed that its age is about 4.45 billion years.
However, approximately 290 million years ago, the Chelyabinsk asteroid experienced a major catastrophe - a collision with another cosmic body. This is evidenced by dark veins in its thickness - traces of melting of the substance during a powerful impact.
However, scientists believe that this was a very “fast” process. The traces of cosmic particles - the tracks of iron nuclei - did not have time to melt, which means that the “accident” itself lasted no more than a few minutes, stated specialists from the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
At the same time, it is possible that traces of melting could have appeared during the asteroid’s too close approach to the Sun, according to scientists from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy (IGM) SB RAS.