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Meteorite crash in Russia

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Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#121

Post by tokipin »

lutusp wrote: post #112
maqr wrote: post #84

Do meteorites really do this? I've never heard of another like this event before, and I always hear reports about meteors 'almost' hitting earth well in advance of the possible collision date. I didn't think the sky could simply open up and rain down hellfire without anybody spotting it beforehand.

> Do meteorites really do this? I've never heard of another like this event before ... In that case, it's time for you to read about Tunguska in 1908: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

that thing was no joke

Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#122

Post by cabirum »

rdl wrote: post #45

I don't get why everyone seems to be running out of (what appear to be) fairly sturdy concrete buildings and into the street. Sure, a building won't protect you from an incoming meteorite of any size, but being indoors might protect from fragments if an incoming meteor hits something else.

thats how it looks from the inside of buildings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs6sj6xAzeg

Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#123

Post by lutusp »

zokier wrote: post #115
rdl wrote: post #45

I don't get why everyone seems to be running out of (what appear to be) fairly sturdy concrete buildings and into the street. Sure, a building won't protect you from an incoming meteorite of any size, but being indoors might protect from fragments if an incoming meteor hits something else.

Why not run outside? I haven't heard anyone killed by meteorites, so I wouldn't consider them very threatening. If it's not threatening then why not go out and enjoy the show?

> I haven't heard anyone killed by meteorites, so I wouldn't consider them very threatening.

Just for the historical record, an Egyptian dog was allegedly killed by a meteorite:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite

Quote: "The most infamous reported fatality from a meteorite impact is that of an Egyptian dog that was killed in 1911, although this report is highly disputed."

Another quote: "The first known modern case of a human hit by a space rock occurred on 30 November 1954 in Sylacauga, Alabama.[41] There a 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) stone chondrite[42] crashed through a roof and hit Ann Hodges in her living room after it bounced off her radio. She was badly bruised."

She was also extremely fat, and the meteorite grazed her ample side. I'll bet it motivated a soul-searching consideration of a weight-loss program:

http://blogs.funeralwise.com/dying/files/2012/05/Anne-Hodges...

Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#125

Post by nitrogen »

A couple of years ago a smaller meteor blazed over the western United States, lighting up large parts of Utah (http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8714738), but lacking the sonic boom. I did see the Utah meteor directly, and I imagine that today's was significantly more awesome and more terrifying.

Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#127

Post by rdl »

jlgreco wrote: post #74
rdl wrote: post #45

I don't get why everyone seems to be running out of (what appear to be) fairly sturdy concrete buildings and into the street. Sure, a building won't protect you from an incoming meteorite of any size, but being indoors might protect from fragments if an incoming meteor hits something else.

Frankly even in hindsight I would be running out of buildings, not into them. That was one hell of a sonic boom, and do you really want to take the chance of seismic activity following shortly? I would be more concerned about the building falling onto me than the meteorite. In uncertain circumstances, I think I would almost always prefer not being under concrete.

I guess I assume loud boom = bomb, which makes me want to be behind concrete. But maybe earthquake is more likely -- it's still arguably better to be in a sturdy building than on the street near non-sturdy buildings, though.

Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#128

Post by coopdog »

apaprocki wrote: post #24
marshray wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"BREAKING NEWS - Urals meteorite shot down by Russian air defense - military source >>"

In the comments "Next Russia Today probably will write Putin himself shot the meteorite from his hunters gun."

While riding a bear

http://guyism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/putin-bear.jpg

Re: Meteorite crash in Russia

#130

Post by mapt »

rdl wrote: post #45

I don't get why everyone seems to be running out of (what appear to be) fairly sturdy concrete buildings and into the street. Sure, a building won't protect you from an incoming meteorite of any size, but being indoors might protect from fragments if an incoming meteor hits something else.

In these circumstances, running outside of an apartment block is not bad because of debris from an impactor crator, it's bad because the sonic boom will shatter glass windows with ease, raining down lethal shards on the people below.

This holds for a nuclear strike as well as a bolide.

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