Analysis: Russian Meteorite Was An Everyday Space Rock, Common Throughout The Solar System
Space Rock Fragments Ural Federal UniversityBut it was still notable for its size, and its well-recorded demise in the atmosphere. The giant space rock that exploded above Russia earlier this month spent about 4.5 billion years cruising around the solar system before its fiery arrival in Earth's atmosphere. It was just an average asteroid, albeit a big one at roughly 10,000 tons. Scientists who have been analyzing it at the Urals Federal University say it was a chondrite, the most widespread space rock in our neighborhood. Over the weekend, teams of volunteer skiers covered about 31 miles of the meteorite's "strewing field," which is the name for the elliptical shape in which meteorite debris can be found. Researchers gathered more than 100 fragments in their latest expedition to the Chelyabinsk region, according to university officials who spoke to Russian media. The largest recovered so far weighs in around a kilogram, or...