Why Meteor In Russia Could Explode ?

W-News | Why Meteor In Russia Could Explode ? | On June 30, 1908, a huge ball of fire fell from the sky and pierced through a forest in Siberia. The fireball was in fact an asteroid falling down to earth and able to devour forest area of ​​the capital city of Indonesia.

Recorded at least the trees that stood for hundreds of miles to the ground and created a large crater. Since then, the mysterious phenomenon known as the Tunguska event.

Actually, what happened? Is it the same as those experienced by the Russians this morning?

When viewed from the phenomenon, in the Tunguska event in 1908 and that occurred this morning in Russia caused by the same thing. Namely, an exploding meteor fall when touching the surface of the earth.

The difference, meteor that crashed in Tunguska estimated size is very large so as to cause damage as a result of the blast a bunch of TNT weighing 5 to 30 megatons. What happened in Russia, although small was also capable of injuring 102 people and damaging buildings and homes in its path.

Meteor could explode?

Yes, according to Scienceblogs.com (28/11/2008), a science blog initiated by National Geographic, when a meteor came to Earth, a meteor is going to move very fast because the gravitational force is so great. This will cause the meteor was able to move up to 11 to 72 km / sec toward the earth.

However, the protective outer layer of the Earth, the atmosphere will try to resist force and slow the rate of meteors burning up material while forming meteors. That is why the meteor fell off light always looks shiny, as recorded in the events in Russia today.

Unfortunately, if the material forming meteors composed by too much CO2 and dry ice, the temperature will rise dramatically and boiling. Temperature that causes the molecules in the meteor depressed and trying to get out. Thus, there is a very strong explosion.

As seen from the events in Russia, it appears that the size of a falling meteor is large enough so it does not burn out in the atmosphere. Fortunately, the resulting explosion severely damaged the building and although able to hurt some people.

To note, is there any possibility of meteors fall further back in the near future. This is due to the emergence prediction that asteroid 2012 DA14 will approach Earth on February 16, 2013 this.