Meteorite Falls and Explodes Over Russian Sky (VIDEO)

This was a once in a lifetime event, but tragic! A meteorite falls over the Russian skies on Friday. Before it could hit the ground, the meteor exploded on air, above the Ural Mountains. It was a strong force likened to an atomic bomb. The blast, estimated 30-50 kilometers (18-32 miles) above ground, shattered countless windows and injured more than 750 people in the vicinity.

According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the object was about 10 tons and falling with a hypersonic speed of at least 54,000 kph (33,000 mph).

The meteor hit less than a day before the asteroid 2012 DA14 is to make the closest recorded pass of an asteroid to the Earth — about 17,150 miles (28,000 kilometers). But the European Space Agency in a tweet said its experts had determined there was no connection.

Some fragments fell in a reservoir outside the town of Cherbakul, the regional governor’s office said, according to the ITAR-Tass.

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