| Chelyabinsk Strike | Yarkovsky Effect | Barringer Crater | Near-Earth |
The Truth About Meteors
Professor Iain Stewart
A Horizon Special
Chelyabinsk Meteor
Prof Iain Stewart explains what meteorites and asteroids are, where they come from, the danger they pose, and the role they have played on Earth's history.
For the residents of the Russian city of Chelyabinsk the morning of Friday, 15 February 2013 began like any other, as if they set off for work. In what has become a craze in Russia, many recorded their journeys. But these cameras, usually used to record traffic incidents, were about to record history.
A fireball, brighter than the sun appeared from nowhere, before exploding with the power of 30 Hiroshimas.
A minute later, a shock wave blew in the windows of over 1,000 buildings across the region. The broken glass accounting for most of the 1200 injured. The people of Chelyabinsk had just experienced the most powerful meteor strike in over a century.
The meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk is a spectacular reminder of just how exposed our world is. You know Earth is just this tiny planet in a vast, vast violent cosmos.
It's also a reminder of the powerful impact that these alien rocks can have on the fate of our planet, and on us.
This isn't the first time it's happened. Over the last few years scientists have examined many other devastating impacts of Earth's past.
Using this knowledge, I want to answer the key question that the Chelyabinsk meteor strike raises. Where did this alien Rock come from? When will the next one strike? And can we do anything to protect ourselves?
