The California Meteor Sighting Wasn't Half as Cool as the Russian One
A 10-ton meteor blazed through the sky and struck Central Russia this morning, leaving nearly 1,000 people injured along with a goosebump-inducing sonic boom that provided an amazing collection of videos from citizens who caught the whole thing on tape. The several hundred minor injuries from the explosion were mostly flying glass and other debris created by the shockwave, all on the same day a much larger asteroid happens to be passing through the Earth's orbit.
Have a look:
We're pretty sure this is what Michael Bay dreams of when he goes to sleep:
Obviously, the meteor was bigger than your average shooting star and going pretty fast. "The [Russian Academy of Sciences] said in a statement hours after the Friday morning fall that the meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 54,000 kph (33,000 mph) and shattered about 30-50 kilometers (18-32 miles) above ground," reports the AP. Just listen to the sonic boom this beast created:
And one more:
And this is how you say "Holy ____ (insert expletive) " in Russian:
That shockwave shattered glass in the town of Chelyabinsk and Central Russia, and creating most of the 500 reported (and mostly minor) injuries. "The fall caused explosions that broke glass over a wide area. The Emergency Ministry says more than 500 people sought treatment after the blasts and that 34 of them were hospitalized," reports the Associated Press. (The AFP later revised the number to around 950 suspected injuries.) There aren't any reported fatalities at the moment, and the AP adds that the Russian Academy of Sciences estimate the meteor clocked in at around 10 tons.
Thankfully, the Russian obsession with dashboard-mounted car cameras allowed us to have plenty of amazing shots of the streaking fireball.
Update, 8:40 a.m.: Here's a GIF of the meteor to show all of your friends...

...and you can check out still photos and more videos here and here.
Update, 10:58 a.m.: Here's the latest on the damage, the name, the videos, and everything else.
Update, 3:33 p.m.: Conspiracy theories!
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Alexander Abad-Santos
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