Big meteor over Russia causes damage, loud bang, earthquakey stuff...

[ParkingPlaces]

Wayne probably already knew that this was going to happen today, because he dropped a rock on his foot in 1996. But for the rest of us: apparently a large meteor or several large meteors hit the atmosphere in the last few hours over Russia (well, tomorrow, since they are on the other side of the International Date Line). Huge explosions that rumbled the ground, a factory apparently hit, people hurt by flying glass, dogs and cats living together. Came from the wrong  direction to be related to tomorrows fly-by of an asteroid. Too early too tell how bad this was. But it wasn't good.  Some are panicking, thinking it is UFO's. I'll withhold judgment on that for another three or four seconds.

Went something like this. (turn your sound down) Keep in mind that there were apparently several like this.

(Can't get video to embed. Just click the link.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b0cRHsApzt8

Added:
Another video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=4ZxXYscmgRg

Added: A third video:

[wright]

Son of a bolide bitch. 

Thanks for the post, PP. Somebody up there has it in for Russia; first Tunguska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) and now this, just over a century later. Ai karai. I guess it helps when you have the biggest land surface in the Northern Hemisphere, but wow. Just wow.

As if life wasn't interesting enough there already. And aren't the tin-foil-hat brigades gonna have a fine time with this, with the Earth-crosser 2012 DA14 making a close pass later today.

The Bad Astronomer has an initial post:http://www.slate.com/content/slate/blogs/bad_astronomy.html He points out (no doubt futilely to some) that this object is likely completely unrelated to DA14; for it to intercept Earth so many hours ahead means it was in a completely different orbit.

I guess we can thank the insurance companies of the Russian Federation for some of that footage, since it's because of their reluctance to pay up that drivers started installing dash cams in everything that has an engine. Sure hope no one was seriously hurt; the BA is saying windows (unsurprisingly) shattered in a lot of places.

[Nam]

Biblegod's sending down it's wrath because there are gays in the USA, and prayer out of schools, and atheists running amok. But donlt put Biblegod on a Baseball team as a Pitcher, it's curve is a bit off.

-Nam

[Nick]

These things are just biblegod's drones.  He's got to get your attention somehow.  You won't isten to the "true" believers who come on this site trying to show you the light and the kaboom.

[ParkingPlaces]

Link to more videos and some still photos of the damage. (some videos are the same as in the OP)

http://zyalt.livejournal.com/722930.html

[Nick]

Why does this kind of thing not happen more often?

[DVZ3]

This is the sort of rare thing to mere humans but all to common on astronomical time scales that make me wonder what the goat herders back in the days without knowledge and science. I bet they would conclude such things as god and/or the Jesus guy in sky going away only with the promise of a grand return.. Revelations or something .... I wonder if when the meteor came in there was a band of musician trumpet players nearby. 

[12 Monkeys]

What a strange thing today at 11:30 PST a big rock passed within the orbits of the satellites around earth DA 14

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/15/asteroid-2012-da14-makes-its-record-breaking-brush-with-earth-friday-watch-it-live/

[Noman Peopled]

Why does this kind of thing not happen more often?

Because the Earth is tiny and gravity is a very weak force so whoever throws a rock has to have very good aim. Matter makes up only a minuscule fraction of the solar system. Also, we're living at a time when the sun and the gas giants have swept up most of the local matter.

Even given that, this sort of event is not all that uncommon. Meteors hit the earth's atmosphere on a regular basis, depositing a few tons of material each year. (A number that is dwarved by the accumulating dust particles that are swept up, which is on the order of a few dozen thousand tons.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_meteor_air_bursts

[ParkingPlaces]

Sometimes Russians take extreme measures when a bright meteor flies through the sky...



(Note: just found out that you can't embed YouTube videos that start with https:, but you can after you take the "s" out.)

[wright]

^^^ A sensible response. If it's big and coming down anywhere near him, he's dead anyway. If it doesn't kill him, he'll still need his eyes. Very pragmatic.

[Fiji]

Inside Russian's head ...

What's that? Big rock from sky? Puh! I survived Communist rule for 20 years. In Communist Russia, we were happy with rocks from the sky. Then, at least we got SOMETHING. Damn that thing is bright. Better pull down my visor ... in Communist Russia we HAD no visors.