Astronomers: Russia's Meteorite Is Not Related To Today's Near-Earth Asteroid Fly-By

Friday, February 15, 2013 - 12:00 in Astronomy & Space

Meteor Morning Screenshot via YouTubeNASA and the ESA say the two astronomical events are not connected. Mere hours before an asteroid half the size of a football stadium brushes past Earth with only a few thousand miles to spare, a meteorite hurtled into Central Russia, injuring as many as 1,000 people. It wouldn't be far-fetched for the two events to be related, since asteroids tend to group together, and many meteorites found on Earth have originated in the asteroid belt. Yet despite the coincidental timing, both the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have reported that the two are unrelated. ESA spokesman Bernhard Von Weyhein has said that there is no connection between meteorite and the asteroid 2012DA14, which is scheduled to pass within about 17,000 miles of Earth today. ESA experts at #ESOC confirm *no* link between #meteor incidents in #Russia & #Asteroid #2012DA14 Earth flyby tonite #SSA...

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