CHELYABINSK CHRONDRITE METEORITE CHELYABINSK OBLAST, RUSSIA, 2013 meteoric iron (length 2.2cm) Footnote: Note: On 15th February 2013, a small asteroid entered the Earth's atmosphere over Russia, with an estimated speed of 41,000 miles per hour. At around 50 times the speed of sound, a huge, brilliant fireball was formed, brighter than the sun and bright enough to cause moving shadows on the ground, as it tracked across the sky. Due to its enormous velocity, the meteor exploded many times over Chelyabinsk at a height of about 15 miles. The explosions ripped the meteor apart, reducing the massive object into thousands of small, pea-sized meteorites, which were lost in the snow in and around Deputaskiy village. Some seconds after the explosions, the pressure wave reached the ground, causing damage to people and property. A high brick wall of a factory was knocked down, and hundreds of windows were blown in, with up to 1500 residents being injured by flying glass. The event was captured on many car dashboard cameras and the videos quickly became worldwide news.