On February 15, 2013, an asteroid was hurtling toward Earth. The celestial object measured an estimated 20 meters (65 feet) wide and weighed approximately 12,000 tons. When the asteroid reached our planet’s atmosphere, it was moving at a rate of about 19 kilometers per second (12 mi / sec). As it encountered the thick layer of air around our planet the asteroid exploded—for a short time, it shone brighter than the sun. The explosion occurred above the Chelyabinsk Oblast. It was so forceful that the resulting shock wave broke windows…
