# Meteorite in Russia, with pics and video **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374 "2013-02-15T05:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/21 "2013-02-15T13:06:00Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > We’re really just hanging on to this precarious rock hurtling through (not so empty) space. Why does Russia seem to get so many meteors? First Tunguska, now this? Is the Northern Hemisphere more likely to get hit? A huge chunk of the _inhabited_ Northern Hemisphere is taken up by Russia, so it’s probable they’d get more than their fair share of impacts. A meteor falling over Canada’s Northwest Territories would probably be seen by very few. A meteor falling in the Southern Hemisphere is much more likely to end up landing in the ocean, unseen by anyone. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/22 "2013-02-15T13:22:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > i’m a bit surprised that everyone says this is unrelated to the pass-by of 2012 DA14. \<…\> It is very unlikely that they are related. To begin with, 2012DA14 is approaching from the Southern Hemisphere, and this meteorite impacted well in the Northern Hemisphere. Also, at the moment this meteorite entered the atmosphere, 2012DA14 was **on the other side** of Earth. So, not only the Chelyabinsk meteorite hit the opposite hemisphere, it also was coming from almost the diametrically opposite area of the sky. I am sure there **might** be some mechanism by which these two objects _might_ be related, but I find it extremely unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/23 "2013-02-15T13:32:37Z")
Neil deGrasse Tyson was interviewed by the Today show this morning and reiterated the excellent explanation above about how they were unrelated. He also cited an incident in the (IIRC) '90s where something similar happened in the border region between India and Pakistan during a time of nuclear tension, and how being able to demonstrate that it was of extra-terrestrial origin helped avoid any potential overreaction on either side. I think he mentioned Russia’s size, and also noted how most of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and thus similar happening over the Pacific Ocean might not be seen by anyone. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/24 "2013-02-15T13:33:36Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > It is very unlikely that they are related. To begin with, 2012DA14 is approaching from the Southern Hemisphere, and this meteorite impacted well in the Northern Hemisphere. Also, at the moment this meteorite entered the atmosphere, 2012DA14 was **on the other side** of Earth. So, not only the Chelyabinsk meteorite hit the opposite hemisphere, it also was coming from almost the diametrically opposite area of the sky. > > I am sure there **might** be some mechanism by which these two objects _might_ be related, but I find it extremely unlikely. Being on the other cside of the earth doesn’t prove lack of relation – the objects are clearly separated in any case, and the diameter of the earth is still close on these scales – but if it was coming from a different direction that would invalidate the “almost on the same elliptical path” suggestion. But is that the case? I haven’t heard that elsewhere, and the way you’ve worded your statement it doesn’t explicitly say the paths are significantly different. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/25 "2013-02-15T13:41:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > A huge chunk of the _inhabited_ Northern Hemisphere is taken up by Russia, so it’s probable they’d get more than their fair share of impacts. A meteor falling over Canada’s Northwest Territories would probably be seen by very few. Not sure I understand this distinction. Isn’t a lot of Russian territory no more densely inhabited than Canada’s Northwest? The recent story about the family living in isolation in the Taiga called it one of the least densely populated areas on earth. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/26 "2013-02-15T13:50:48Z")
Early evidence suggests the one that hit came from a very different direction to 2012-DA14. If true, they cannot be related. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/27 "2013-02-15T13:58:27Z")
Could the Russian meteor be associated with the Perseids? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/28 "2013-02-15T13:59:00Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But is that the case? I haven’t heard that elsewhere, and the way you’ve worded your statement it doesn’t explicitly say the paths are significantly different. The previous link to Phil Plait’s column says that precisely. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/29 "2013-02-15T13:59:50Z")
Surely this is related to the NK nuke test earthquake. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/30 "2013-02-15T14:10:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Could the Russian meteor be associated with the Perseids? It’s entirely the wrong time of year for that. The Perseids are in August. There are plenty of other meteorite showers throughout the year, but I haven’t heard or read anything that associates either of these bodies with any of them. > **[Perseids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids)** > > The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle that are usually visible from mid-July to late-August. The meteors are called the Perseids because they appear from the general direction of the constellation Perseus and in more modern times have a radiant bordering on Cassiopeia and Camelopardalis. > The name is derived from the word Perseids (Greek: Περσείδαι), the sons of Perseus in Greek mythology. > The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches... ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/31 "2013-02-15T14:12:20Z")
[And here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson saying not related](http://todaynews.today.com/_news/2013/02/15/16973245-neil-degrasse-tyson-russian-meteorite-was-once-a-decade-event?lite). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/32 "2013-02-15T14:13:38Z")
Every indication is that that they are completely unrelated and merely a coincidence. Coincidences happen ya’ know. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/33 "2013-02-15T14:15:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Army units found three meteorite debris impact sites, two of which are in an area near Chebarkul Lake, west of Chelyabinsk. The third site was found some 80 kilometers further to the northwest, near the town of Zlatoust. One of the fragments that struck near Chebarkul left a crater six meters in diameter. Isn’t the amount of phtographic/video evidence for this one unprecedented? I’m seeing numerous angles already and more will certainly continue to come in, much like with all that for Japan’s tsunami. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/34 "2013-02-15T14:23:09Z")
Seems like the wealth of video of the event is thanks to the average Russian’s terrible driving habits, which inspired everyone over there to install [dash cams](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VzGF3wEI6c) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/35 "2013-02-15T14:25:06Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Here’s a other video from interior video cameras of windows and doors being blown off. Pretty incredible actually: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player\_embedded&v=1kvHl5Qcnzc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1kvHl5Qcnzc) That’s astonishing. It sure makes it easier for the layman to understand how Tunguska-like effects could be generated. It will be interesting to see if they’re able to detect a discernable pattern produced by this one’s blast geometry. Wasn’t Tunguska’s butterfly shaped? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/36 "2013-02-15T14:26:00Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > My reply in tyhis thread – they certainly can be-- [Meteorite in Russia, with pics and video - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=682414) Two meteorite threads merged. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/37 "2013-02-15T14:26:20Z")
Do a lot of people there have dash cams for some reason, or are we just seeing the tiny percentage that do? It seems like there must be a lot for so many to have caught this momentary event. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/38 "2013-02-15T14:37:12Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Why does Russia seem to get so many meteors? Russia, and “Russia” in the sense of the old USSR, is a honking big area of land. It’s a larger target than, say, Luxemburg. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/39 "2013-02-15T14:38:02Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Do a lot of people there have dash cams for some reason, or are we just seeing the tiny percentage that do? It seems like there must be a lot for so many to have caught this momentary event. Lots of insurance fraud in Russia. The solution has been dash cams, which provide proof of intent. [This one,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TQN8B8Jb9k) for example, shows one car putting on its turn signal, stopping, and then deliberately backing up into the car behind it to make it look like they were rear-ended. The woman driver of the first car gets out and acts all indignant until the driver of the second car points out his dash cam. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374/40 "2013-02-15T14:52:58Z")
This is just viral marketing for Man of Steel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorite-in-russia-with-pics-and-video/650374.md?page=3)