Asteroid Day Arrives: Massive Meteor Strike Confirmed in Russia

A large meteor was spotted blazing through the sky over Russia today. A Russian Interior Spokesman confirmed that a space rock did indeed crash to earth near the city of Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains where over 400 injuries were reported.

Watch the stunning footage of the meteor below:

Today is the day that Earth is to experience the closest asteroid flyby in history when 2012 DA14 skirts by at just over 17,000 miles away. By all estimates, scientists have said that this asteroid will narrowly miss hitting earth, flying closer than some satellites and said to miss us by 15 minutes.

But they haven’t warned about shrapnel rocks breaking through and landing. It’s unclear whether the meteor that hit Russia is related to this flyby, but it seems likely since meteor showers are falling the exact same day.

Reuters is reporting that event as meteor showers but mentions the correlation between Asteroid 2012 DA14:

The Emergencies Ministry described Friday’s events as a “meteor shower in the form of fireballs” and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet), apparently signaling it occurred when the meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere.

The U.S. space agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 meters in diameter, would have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them about 15 years ago.

Keep your eyes on the sky today and stay safe.