A decade in the past as we speak, town of Chelyabinsk, Russia unexpectedly discovered itself underneath assault from house, as a roughly 60-foot-wide asteroid exploded over the area. It was a surprising reminder that our planet may be struck at any time—and future impacts may very well be much more severe.
The asteroid entered Earth’s environment on February 15, 2013, and the fireball was captured by safety cameras, automobile dashcams, and the smartphones of eyewitnesses round Chelyabinsk. Quickly after got here a deafening shockwave and sonic increase, which broken buildings, set off automobile alarms, and injured round 1,600 individuals.
The occasion was a dramatic wakeup name in regards to the significance of planetary protection. This rock wasn’t a significant risk to humanity, however the subsequent one is perhaps. Within the 10 years since, our means to detect small asteroids has improved. NASA has even experimented with methods to deflect incoming asteroids which may pose a risk, with the latest DART mission to smash right into a small house rock. DART efficiently moved its goal asteroid, demonstrating a possible answer in defending Earth.
Click on by means of for movies and pictures of the Chelyabinsk meteor strike.
