Chelyabinsk would have faced a catastrophe with many casualties, comparable to the explosion of 20 atomic bombs over Hiroshima, if the meteorite had exploded 13 years ago at a height of about one kilometer instead of 25, Stas Korotkiy, scientific director of the Ka-Dar Observatory and the Astroverty Astrofarm, told RIA Novosti.
The meteorite exploded on February 15, 2013, over Chelyabinsk. It was a chondrite stone meteorite about 20 meters in diameter, flying at a speed of 18 km/s. The main explosion occurred at an altitude of approximately 25 km, so the shock wave traveled to the ground for about a minute.
In this case, according to scientists' estimates, the explosion power was half a megaton (500 thousand tons in TNT equivalent). This is approximately 20 times more powerful than the first atomic bomb, detonated by the Americans over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. But there the explosion height was about one kilometer. If the distance from the explosion site doubles, the shock wave weakens four times. Therefore, if the height is 10 kilometers, the energy of the shock wave will be 100 times weaker. But in Hiroshima there was complete destruction. <...> At an explosion height of one kilometer, the explosion would be 20 times more powerful than in Hiroshima. The city would be practically destroyed by the shock wave, it would be a disaster.
The astronomer also noted the danger of the flash itself: when the meteorite disintegrated, the brightness of the glow exceeded the solar brightness by 15 times. The radiance of 15 Suns lasted for several seconds — this was enough for residents of the Southern Urals to get eye burns and seek medical attention.
The scientist added that the Chelyabinsk meteorite is the largest celestial body to enter the Earth's atmosphere in the 21st century, and the most "filmed" in history due to its fall over a large city.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Rare video: meteorite over Moscow filmed from an airplane
- Traces of a new mysterious meteorite discovered in the Chelyabinsk region: laboratory analysis by ChelSU confirmed the alien composition
- What size meteorites can be dangerous to Earth?
