A Meteorite Exploded on the Earth’s Atmosphere

Huge Fireball

There was a large explosion that occurred on the Earth's atmosphere somewhere over Russian territory in December 2018 - according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). A massive explosion was caused by a meteor resulting into a massive fireball that released powerful energy said to be ten times more powerful than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6^th, 1945, BBC reported.

Explosion 10 times powerful than Little Boy

The meteor explosion took place just above the Bering Sea in close proximity to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. It is estimated that the explosion may have occurred 15 miles above the Earth's surface releasing 173 kilotons of energy. This amount of energy is more powerful than the energy that was released when the Little Boy atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima - according to the Washington Post. However, this is not the most powerful meteor explosion reported over the Earth's surface. There is yet another apocalyptic meteorite explosion that occurred over Chelyabinsk Russia in February 2013 that released a whopping 440 kilotons of energy!

Unfortunately, no local observer noticed this latest meteorite explosion event and so it was not reported owing to the area's extreme remoteness. However, Japan's #Himawari satellite spotted and recorded the event. The US Air Force also noted the event and informed NASA about it.

Asteroid blasters

Thanks to innovation and advancement in space technology, NASA is steadily enhancing its technological capabilities in determining where and when a meteorite is likely to strike. Just recently in the year 2018, a small 9-foot asteroid christened '2018 LA' was expected to hit Southern Africa. Just as expected, the asteroid hit Botswana barely hours after its discovery.

In 2016, scientists from Russia toyed with the idea of retrofitting intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) to target that is dangerously charging towards the Earth. The Asteroids to be targeted are those that range between 20 to 50 meters in size.

NASA has also coined the idea of a "National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan." These steps being taken by NASA are aimed at preventing any dangerous asteroids from hitting the Earth. Indeed these anticipatory contingency steps being taken may help avert any future dangerous asteroid or meteorite from hitting the Earth with disastrous results. Luckily, most meteorite or asteroid collisions that have occurred on the Earth's atmosphere in the past have occurred in remote areas thus avoiding any catastrophic human loss of life.