Posted on 02/26/2013 4:19:06 PM PST by BenLurkin
Poring over crowd-sourced footage, researchers Jorge Zuluaga and Ignacio Ferrin from the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia, were able to use "simple trigonometry to calculate the height, speed, and position of the rock as it fell to Earth," says BBC News. More importantly, the duo was able to find out where Russia's most famous meteor was likely born.
Using astronomy software developed by the U.S. Naval Observatory, Zuluaga and Ferrin gathered enough data to trace the meteoroid's origins in outer space. The information included the meteor's relative angle to the horizon, the shadows it cast, and video timestamps of the rock's screaming descent.
Based on its trajectory and speed — zipping through the atmosphere at an estimated rate of 13 to 19 kilometers per second — the Russian meteor appears to have originated from the Apollo family of asteroids, which are "well-known near-Earth asteroids that cross the orbit of Earth," says Discovery News:
Around 5,200 Apollo asteroids are currently known, the largest being 1866 Sisyphus — a 10 kilometer-wide monster that was discovered in 1972. Large Apollos are identified as being a significant risk to our planet, so the Chelyabinsk meteoroid acted like an Apollo warning shot. [Discovery News]
(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...
...appears to have originated from the Apollo family of asteroids, which are "well-known near-Earth asteroids that cross the orbit of Earth," ...Around 5,200 Apollo asteroids are currently known, the largest being 1866 Sisyphus -- a 10 kilometer-wide monster that was discovered in 1972.
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Something about that bright flash proves otherwise. If you don't believe me just ask the man that lives his life under whater? Thanks for the ping , and that one ping only... '-)
I’m sure George Noory can explain.
Noory asks the stupidest questions of his guests. He’s got a great gig, but I’m convinced he is something of an air head.
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