In the Russian Federation there is a large city - Chelyabinsk. On February 15, 2013, a Chebarkul meteorite fell in its vicinity . This event attracted the attention of the entire scientific world and the mass of the curious.
A meteorite fell in Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk citizens, as well as residents of nearby areas at 9-30 saw a high-speed UFO flight in the sky. The object shone brightly, leaving behind a jet trail. A couple of seconds after the phenomenon, a shock wave swept through the city, trees fell, glass flew out of the windows, some buildings were destroyed. From fragments and stones affected more than 1,500 residents.
What was it? To the place where, according to the calculations, the mysterious object fell, representatives of the authorities, scientists and crowds of fearless curious went. The fall was recorded by NASA, astronomers of many countries of the world became interested in it.
Celestial body - Chebarkul meteorite. This "guest from outer space" is the second largest after the famous Tunguska meteorite, which flew to Earth in 1908.
Description of the “Space Guest”
The Chebarkul meteorite entered our atmosphere at an angle of 20 ° and swept with a speed close to 20 km / s. A stone block weighing 10 tons and a width of about 17 m cracked at an altitude of 20 km. It was not the Chebarkul meteorite itself that flew to the ground, but only its fragments.
The explosion had a power 30 times more than the bomb in Hiroshima, and pieces of the "space guest" brought a lot of damage. Chelyabinsk and settlements in Korkino, Kopeisk, Emanzhelinsk and Yuzhnouralsk, the village of Etkul suffered. Scientists argue that if the "guest" exploded just a couple of kilometers lower, the consequences would be much more deplorable.
The Chebarkul meteorite, a photo of which can now be found in many scientific publications, is ordinary chondritis. Contains iron and magnetic pyrites, olivine and sulfites, some other complex compounds. Unusual for meteorites are found traces of iron ore of titanium and native copper. There are cracks in the body filled with a vitreous substance.
This meteorite broke away from the mother body about 4 billion years old and wandered in outer space until it entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
Place of fall
Scientists and treasure seekers set off in search of the meteorite. Two main fragments were quickly found in the Chebarkul district. The third piece was found in the Zlatoust district. The fourth part - the largest - fell into Lake Chebarkul. Those who observed this phenomenon claimed that a huge stone raised waves 3-4 meters high.
Raising it from the muddy bottom of the lake proved to be a very difficult task. The fragment weighed, as suggested, at least 300 kg, or even all 400. Under its weight, it was deeply bogged down in the bottom silt. The Chebarkul meteorite was raised only in the late summer of 2013. For this operation, the local government issued 3 million rubles.
When a piece of meteorite was taken from the bottom of the lake, its weight was more than the calculated one. The stone weighed as much as 600 kg. Scientists carefully examined the Chebarkul meteorite and announced that it poses no chemical or radioactive hazard.
Now the Chelyabinsk meteorite (official name) is a local attraction, it is stored in the local history museum of Chelyabinsk.
In addition to these 4 main parts, many small meteorites were found.
Interesting Facts
The fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite caused a lot of noise. It is worth noting such interesting facts related to this event:
- Today, tourist trips to the place where the meteorite falls
- a medal with an insert from a meteorite has been established for athletes who win the Olympic Games on February 15,
- many pieces of the “space alien” were distributed in private collections,
- many thematic brands of alcohol and sweets were born - “Chebarkul meteor”, “Meteorite in Chelyabinsk”, “Ural guest” and other creative names,
- enterprising businessmen began to produce clothes, utensils, other trifles with prints of the Chebarkul meteorite,
- Chelyabinsk perfume company has created unusual perfumes "Chebarkul meteorite" with metal and stone components,
- many resourceful residents put up items auctioned by a meteorite at online auctions, all lots quickly fell into the hands of strange collectors,
- there were scammers who disseminated information about the healing and magical properties of the meteorite,
- the state compensated the residents for the windows knocked out by the blast wave; many, wanting compensation, themselves knocked out windows in apartments.
Scientists said that a meteorite of this magnitude does not fall to Earth more than 1 time in 100 years.