To put the explosion into perspective here on Earth, the explosion was said to have the same amount of force as five tons of TNT. Of course, that’s not even close to what an atomic bomb can pull off, nor a typical large explosion like what’ve seen recently in Texas at the fertilizer planet. However, with the vacuum of space and no gravity to slow anything down, the explosions can be much larger on the moon.

This specific explosion, which happened around two months ago, was ten times brighter than anything that NASA has ever seen before. Meteor impacts on the Moon are nothing new, and they happen all the time, but this explosion was unique and it’s said to have made a crater over 20 meters (65 feet) across.

So how does an explosion happen on the Moon if there’s no oxygen to activate it? NASA says that lunar meteors don’t require oxygen or combustion to explode. Meteors hit the Moon surface with so much kinetic energy that NASA says even a small pebble can make a crater that’s a few feet wide. As for the flash of light from the meteor explosion, that’s from the “thermal glow of molten rock and hot vapors” during impact.

NASA created a specific program to identify how often lunar meteor strikes occur in 2005, and this was the largest explosion that the program has ever seen in its roughly nine years of being active. During that time, scientists have identified over 300 explosions, most which happened during meteor showers on Earth and were rather dim. The program is essentially studying the where, when, and how often of meteor strikes on the Moon to determine the best time and location for future spacewalks on the Moon, if NASA ever decides to go back.

VIA: Wired

SOURCE: NASA

The researchers used both amateur footage as well as traffic cam videos to figure out the meteor’s path. They then used “Monte Carlo” methods to figure out the meteor’s orbiting behavior, and they came to the conclusion that the meteor belongs to an asteroid group known as the Apollo asteroids. The Apollo asteroids normally cross the Earth’s orbit. The scientists also stated, “Its elliptical, low inclination orbit, indicates a solar system origin, most likely from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.”

The meteor itself has been orbiting space for about 4.5 billion years before it met its end in Russia. It weighed nearly 10,000 tons and it is said to be a “chrondite”, which is one of the most common kinds of rocks near the Earth’s orbit. Scientists so far have gathered up hundreds of meteorite fragments thanks to volunteers who have been scouring the Chelyabinsk region. The biggest meteor fragment discovered weighed about 2.2 pounds.

It’s amazing what the scientists have discovered so far. They’ve renamed the Russian meteor to “Chebarkul meteorite”. They’ve also discovered a variety of strange minerals on the meteor. The most notable ones would be olivine, pyroxene, troilite, kamacite, and taenite. The meteorite is also made up of 10% iron. The scientists are still working long hours to analyze the meteorite. We’ll keep you posted if any new information comes up.

[via Popular Science]

The strange, alien slimes are appearing all over the Somerset nature reserve in grass banks that are located away from the water’s edge. The slimey substances are each about 10 centimeters (4 inches) in diameter and all of them are translucent. The reserve’s team will continue to analyze the blobs for the next few days.

The local folklore says that previous sightings of the mysterious, alien slime dates all the way back to the 14th century, at least based on their records. Back in the 14th century, the strange slime always appeared shortly after a meteor shower. The locals at the time called the slime “star jelly”, “astral jelly”, or “astromyxin”.

For now, everything is still a mystery. Unlike the 14th century, our technology is much more advanced, and an analysis by scientists could give us a clear, and probably logical, answer to what this substance really is. But until we have those answers, it’s all just a guessing game. What are your theories on what this substance could be?

[via IBT]

Most of the fragments discovered have only been small rocks, between the size of a pebble and a golf ball, and Russian scientists say that the meteor was probably no more than two feet in diameter after it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, but they say that a large chunk of it is probably in the lake that it crashed into. However, divers have yet to find any large fragments on the bottom of the lake.

In the meantime, Russians are putting their discovered fragments up for sale online, with A two-centimeter fragment selling for 500 ruble, which is approximately $16.60. However, there’s no telling if the fragments for sale are authentic. Geologists say that unclassified fragments can sell for around $0.50/gram, while slightly rare fragments can cost as much as $50/gram. However, extremely rare fragments of lunar and Martian meteorites can sell for over $1,000/gram.

NASA estimates that when the meteor entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it weighed about 10,000 tons and was approximately 55 feet in diameter. NASA says that a meteor that big only strikes the Earth about once every one hundred years. The shock wave that was produced by the meteor ended up injuring over 1,000 residents, and it’s estimated that damages are over $33 million.

[via CTV]

Today we have more reports of damage caused by the meteor explosion and they are as bizarre as some of the damage reports from tornadoes we’ve heard over the years. For instance, in the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia some high-rise buildings had the glass blown out of every window on the top floor while other buildings had only the glass from the bottom floor destroyed. Even that’s not the most bizarre report of damage caused by the meteor.

Some citizens living within the city are reporting that the external windows of their apartments remain intact while glass jars in dishes inside the home were destroyed by the meteor explosion. Some citizens also reported that their electronic devices were destroyed by the explosion. One citizen reported that a glass bottle he was holding shattered in his hand.

Scientists say that glass was destroyed by pressure waves created as the meteor fragment decelerated. These low-frequency waves are called infrasound. Scientists say that these waves can bounce off buildings causing them to be stronger in some places than others and can resonate with glass explaining why bottles and dishes might have shattered inside of homes otherwise unaffected by the meteor.

While some apartment dwellers had their windows blown out, apartments next door with the same windows remained intact. Scientists are estimating that the meteor is the largest to have entered the Earth’s atmosphere since 1908. Current reports pegged the number of people injured at 1200, mostly from falling glass. NASA estimates that a meteor of this size hits the Earth about once every 100 years. The city of Chelyabinsk, Russia has about 1 million citizens.

[via NYT]