Russian authorities claim to have found the impact sites of some of the fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteor, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Two have been found near Chebarkul Lake — one of them pictured here. The other one is near Zlatoust, a town 80km northwest of Chelyabinsk.
Scientists and police have recovered small black fragments incrusted in the ice. They believe they are part of the meteor’s debris.
A meteor exploded over Russia yesterday on the eve of the 45m asteroid 2012 DA14 flyby. These are two coincidental events with no connection whatsoever, say European Space Agency astronomers.
The Russian Academy of Sciences has estimated that the meteorite weighed about nine tonnes and entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of at least 53,000km/h, shattering about 30-50km above ground.
And here is the European Meteosat-10 satellite capturing the precise moment as the meteor entered Russian airspace over Chelyabinsk. Here you can clearly see its vapour trail. [Meteosat]