Big Red Car here. Hey, did you see that business about something striking the Earth in Russia?
Wow, it was huge! What was it?
Was it an asteroid, comet, meteor, meteroid, metorite or a near Earth object? OMG, what was it?
Look at this article to understand what happened. Here.
So what are these various things?
Asteroid
An asteroid is a little planet — planetoid — so these babies are very big, potentially. They are usually well behaved hanging out with the asteroid pals in the “asteroid belt” out there between Mars and Jupiter. They are generally classified as being carbon-rich, stony or metallic.
We get hit by an asteroid and we are in big trouble.
Comet
Comets are hunks of ice, frozen gases, dust, and rocks which cast a tail. This tail or “coma” is the distinguishing element of a comet. A comet can be pretty damn big. As big as 40 kilometers in diameter. Wow.
When a comet comes in Earth’s atmosphere, it can result in a “meteor” shower — see why this is so damn confusing?
There are about 4,800 comets out there.
Most famous comet? Haley’s Comet!
Meteor
A meteor is the visible trace of a meteoroid in the Earth’s atmosphere. The visible tail. Oh, man, this is getting confusing for a Big Red Car.
Meteoroid
Small particle — boulder sized to fine sand in size — which enters Earth’s atmosphere and heads toward earth. Known as a falling star or a shooting star.
Meteorite
If a meteroid survives to impact the Earth, then it is called a “meteorite”.
Near Earth Object
A near earth object is an object of any kind that comes into close proximity of our dear Earth. It could be some of the above items. Confusing, no?
These things can be very dangerous:
2002 Eastern Mediterranean event
On 6 June 2002 an object with an estimated diameter of 10 meters collided with Earth. The collision occurred over the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Libya, at approximately 34°N 21°E and the object exploded in mid-air. The energy released was estimated (from infrasound measurements) to be equivalent to 26 kilotons of TNT, comparable to a small nuclear weapon.
So what happened out there in Russia?
It was a meteorite. An undetected and surprise meteorite. That is the technical description though you will see it described as a “meteor”. Hell, you know better.
This meteorite — did not survive to hit the Earth intact though parts of it did — exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk releasing energy equivalent to several hundred tons of TNT. It exploded between 20 and 30 miles above the earth. It was so bright, it cast shadows during midday. Wow!
It was about 50 feet in diameter and had a mass of several thousand tons. As it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it looked like a ball of fire and was going 34,000 MPH — faster than the Big Red Car who has never gone faster than say 140 MPH but we are not going to talk about that just now.
The airburst explosion unleashed enormous damage and many windows and roof were damaged. It was quite spectacular and fearsome.
So now, you know. Very confusing, eh?
But, hey, what the Hell do I know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car.
Be kind to yourself and stay away from these meteorites, promise?
Boy does THAT bring back memories…
On August 10, 1972, I was spending the summer between my freshman and sophomore years at MIT back home in southeastern Idaho. Working in the parts department of the local tractor store, I witnessed what is now referred to as the 1972 Great Daylight Fireball. (Wiki it.)
I was driving south and saw that sucker come over the horizon. Since we lived near the National Reactor Testing Station (home to Adm. Rickover’s nuclear sub program), I thought it was the Soviets for sure. I stopped the car, got out, and watched it speed DIRECTLY overhead. It was the damnedest thing I’ve ever witnessed. The MASSIVE sonic boom followed AFTER I was back in the BBC (big black car, 1956 Buick Special).
According to various reports the fireball was an ASTEROID that came in at a flat angle and skipped back out of the atmosphere somewhere over Alberta. Mass was estimated (broad range) of between 10 and 1,000 tons.
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Big doings in Idaho. I imagine that there were a bunch of puckers in Russia. Hell, it could have been the Americans?
Good car, Fred. Were you loyal to it or did you junk it?
BRC
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BRC… I was loyal. Sadly, it got passed along to my younger siblings and I know not of its fate. It was a tank… I remember skidding off the highway during one stretch of -30 degree weather and taking out a whole line of barbed wire fence. Nary a scratch on the BBC. “Puckered, indeed was I,” remarked the young Jedi.
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Best highway car I have ever owned, a tank of a 1984 MB. Wish I had it now. What a highway car that was.
Not as good as the BRC for driving around. But boy for the highway.
Full grown person could sleep long ways in the back.
JLM
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Great job explaining these differences. It is very useful
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It is very confusing to me.
BRC
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How about that asteroid too that passed 28,000 kms from earth a few hours prior!
I want to know why did the scientists fail to predict these?
i’m guessing they are predicting all of them, but are’nt allowed to tell anyone.
I think they missed how close these were going to be.
Are you saying they knew, but weren’t allowed to tell?
yeah > just the gut reaction conspiracy theorist in me. . .why create panic on something so unpredictable when you can just say – – wow, missed it after the fact?
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It is funny that this huge explosion — the equivalent of a small nuclear weapon — did not trigger more of a conspiracy controversy.
Was it really a small nuke exploded by the US or Iran?
BRC
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