The Sky Is Falling!

Fun times in Russia

Russia’s Urals region has been rocked by a meteorite explosion in the stratosphere. The impact wave damaged several buildings, and blew out thousands of windows amid frigid winter weather. Hundreds are seeking medical attention for minor injuries.

Included is the ubiquitous Russkie DashCam video…I would need to change my drawers if I saw that through my windshield!

Oh and we’re getting a Special Visitor at 2:24pm this afternoon

BOSTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) – A newly discovered asteroid about half the size of a football field will pass nearer to Earth than any other known object of its size on Friday, giving scientists a rare opportunity for close-up observations without launching a probe.

At its closest approach, which will occur at 2:24 p.m. EST/1924 GMT, the asteroid will pass about 17,200 miles (27,520 km) above the planet traveling at 8 miles (13 km) per second, bringing it nearer than the networks of television and weather satellites that ring the planet.

Although Asteroid 2012 DA14 is the largest known object of its size to pass this close, scientists say there is no chance of an impact, this week or in the foreseeable future.

Judging by this chart and the time of the arrival

it looks like if the scientists have made a slight miscalculation in its path that it would impact the Western Europe/Africa side of the world…further proof of the perils of Global Warming.

categories Gorebal Warming, World Stuff | | datetime February 15, 2013 6:57 am

One Response to “The Sky Is Falling!”

  1. JeffS says:
    February 15, 2013 at 9:47 am

    I suppose that alerting military units specializing in NBC is a reasonable precaution, although the odds of the meteorite fragments being radioactive are rather long; I’d worry more about the orbits of nuclear powered satellite decaying.

    Might be posturing for the public, or just ignorance. But the mention of a dive team searching for fragments brings out the cynic in me, considering that meteorite fragments sell for mucho dinero.

    On the serious side…..imagine if the fall had been only a few hours later, and the impact was in heavily populated western Europe. The Euroweenies had a close call here.

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