10 Years After Chelyabinsk: How the Sun is Making Asteroids Invisible
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, a remarkable event that occurred on February 15th, 2013. The meteorite, estimated to be about 17 meters in diameter, exploded in the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, releasing around 500 kilotons of energy - more than 20 times the energy released by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The explosion created a shock wave that shattered thousands of windows, damaged buildings, and injured over 1,500 people.
Ten years later, scientists have a much better understanding of the Chelyabinsk meteorite and its impact on Earth. It turns out that the Chelyabinsk meteorite was part of a larger family of objects known as “invisible asteroids,” which are too faint to be detected by traditional methods. These objects are believed to be responsible for a large portion of the impacts that Earth experiences. While the Chelyabinsk meteorite was a rare event, it serves as a reminder of the importance of monitoring the skies for potentially hazardous objects.
source: Phys.org