Just as everyone was preparing for the record pass of Asteroid 2012 DA14, a meteor unexpectedly entered the Earth's atmosphere and exploded over the skies of central Russia on Friday. An earlier IBTimes UK report confirmed residents in Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, and Tyumen witnessed the event. During the shower, many reported they experienced a tremor-like shake while window panes of houses were shattered.
The meteor's trail cut a stark and smoky gash across the sky and was witnessed and recorded by hundreds of people, all of whom uploaded the videos on YouTube.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was relieved the meteor did not explode near densely populated areas. A report in the Washington Post said nearly 50 people were hospitalised in what was, according to Margaret Campbell-Brown, an astronomer at the University of Western Ontario, the largest such impact for over a century. Nasa explained that it could not predict the collision because the object was too small.
Small is relative though. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the meteor weighed approximately 10 tonnes and entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 54,000km/h.
Meanwhile, the eagerly anticipated Asteroid 2012 Da14 passed by the Earth a few hours later.
"What an exciting day! It's like a shooting gallery here. We have two rare events of near-Earth objects approaching the Earth on the same day," Nasa scientist Paul Chodas said, according to CBS News, adding that the two events taking place one after the other was a coincidence.
Scroll down to see images of the aftermath of the meteor shower in Russia...
The trail of a falling object is seen above a residential apartment block in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk, in this still image taken from video shot on February 15, 2013. A powerful blast rocked the Russian region of the Urals early on Friday with bright objects, identified as possible meteorites, falling from the sky, emergency officials said.REUTERS/ SpetszakazBroken windows and debris are seen inside a sports hall following sightings of a falling object in the sky in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. A powerful blast rocked the Russian region of the Urals early on Friday with bright objects, identified as possible meteorites, falling from the sky, emergency officials said.REUTERS/OOO SpetszakazPeople inspect damage to a shop following sightings of a falling object in the sky in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. A powerful blast rocked the Russian region of the Urals early on Friday with bright objects, identified as meteorites, falling from the sky, emergency officials said.REUTERS/Andrei KuzminA man removes shards of glass from the frame of a broken window following sightings of a falling object in the sky in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. A powerful blast rocked the Russian region of the Urals early on Friday with bright objects, identified as meteorites, falling from the sky, emergency officials said.REUTERS/Andrei KuzminThe trail of a falling object is seen above the Urals city of Chelyabinsk, in this view from a residential apartment February 15, 2013. About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia on Friday sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms.REUTERS/Igor LyapustinTrail of a meteorite crossing the early morning sky above the city of Kamensk-Uralsky February 15, 2013, is seen in this still image taken from video footage from a dashboard journey recorder and obtained by REUTERS TV. More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.REUTERS/Amateur video via ReutWorkers repair damage caused after a meteorite passed above the Urals city of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. More than 500 people were injured when the meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.REUTERS/Yevgeni YemeldinovRussian police work near an ice hole, said by the Interior Ministry department for Chelyabinsk region to be the point of impact of a meteor seen earlier in the Urals region, at lake Chebarkul some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. The meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to earth which shattered windows and damaged buildings, injuring more than 500 people.REUTERS/ChelyabinskA ruler is used to examine fragments said by the Interior Ministry department for Chelyabinsk region to be from a meteorite, near an ice hole on lake Chebarkul some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. The Interior Ministry said the ice hole is the point of impact from the meteorite, which was spotted streaking across the sky earlier in the Urals region. The meteor exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to earth which shattered windows and damaged buildings, injuring more than 500 people.REUTERS/ChelyabinskRussian police work near an ice hole, said by the Interior Ministry department for Chelyabinsk region to be the point of impact of a meteorite seen earlier in the Urals region, at lake Chebarkul some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013. The meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to earth which shattered windows and damaged buildings, injuring more than 500 people.REUTERS/Chelyabinsk
