1.5 Meter Long Meteorite Fragment Recovered From Russian Lake

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1.5 Meter Long Meteorite Fragment Recovered From Russian Lake

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday October 16, 2013 @03:33AM from the aliens-inside dept.

MancunianMaskMan writes "The BBC writes about the meteorite that fell from the sky 8 months ago: 'The object plunged into Lake Chebarkul in central Russia on 15 February, leaving a 6m-wide hole in the ice. Scientists say that it is the largest fragment of the meteorite yet found.'" This is one of the ten largest meteorite fragments ever recovered. Unfortunately, it broke into three pieces after being lifted from the lake, and managed to destroy the scale used to weigh it when it hit 570kg.

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Frist! by mrbester · 2013-10-16 03:43 · Score: 1

Oh, and that was bloody clumsy of them.

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1. Re:Frist! by war4peace · 2013-10-16 03:46 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  In Soviet Russia, YOU destroy Meteor!
  
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2. Re:Frist! by tripleevenfall · 2013-10-16 04:19 · Score: 0
  
  in Slashdot, meme bungles YOU!
3. Re:Frist! by war4peace · 2013-10-16 04:28 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  You over-analyze, mate :)
  Just take the joke as a joke, rather than compare the syntax and structure to an established one and yell if they don't match.
  
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4. Re:Frist! by noh8rz10 · 2013-10-16 04:29 · Score: 1
  
  In mesozoic-era earth, the meteor extinctifies YOU!
  bettery?
5. Re:Frist! by noh8rz10 · 2013-10-16 04:30 · Score: 1
  
  thinking about it more, a simpler and more pithy version is:
  In mesozoic-era earth, the meteor destroys YOU!
  it's easier on the tongue, doesn't use a made-up verb, and more directly correlates with the story and subject.
6. Re:Frist! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:38 · Score: 0
  
  this one is better:
  in tsarist Siberia, meteor destroys YOU!
7. Re:Frist! by Jane+Q.+Public · 2013-10-16 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  "In Soviet Russia, YOU destroy Meteor!"
  As I was reading OP, I really, really thought it was going to say "... leaving a 6m-wide hole in the water."
  
  To find that it said ice instead was something of a letdown.
8. Re:Frist! by ByteSlicer · 2013-10-16 09:01 · Score: 1
  
  In Soviet Russia, mate over-analyzes you !
There's more where that came from by js3 · 2013-10-16 03:45 · Score: 1

they say space is HUUUGE

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1. Re:There's more where that came from by ArcadeMan · 2013-10-16 04:49 · Score: 1
  
  From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Space," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space, listen..."
  
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Obligatory by ArcadeMan · 2013-10-16 03:46 · Score: 0

In Soviet Russia, meteorite breaks scale!

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1. Re:Obligatory by CaptainLard · 2013-10-16 04:27 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Actually, if you read the manual, soviet russia "jokes" stopped being an obligation when taco left. None the less, given the subject of the story I calculate the overused meme will appear in 51% of all comments. Carry on, comrades.
2. Re:Obligatory by ArcadeMan · 2013-10-16 04:47 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  In Soviet Russia, slashdot leaves taco!
  
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3. Re:Obligatory by jason.sweet · 2013-10-16 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  The change to the manual was a decision made by a minority, and it will ultimately be as successful as Prohibition in the United States.
4. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 05:50 · Score: 0
  
  Do scales break meteorites in capitalist America? If you're going to make lame jokes at least try to understand them first.
5. Re:Obligatory by gl4ss · 2013-10-16 05:54 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  give in the membership card.
  the manual was a trap to see if you read it.
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
6. Re:Obligatory by geekoid · 2013-10-16 07:35 · Score: 2
  
  Prohibition was very successful. IT's goal was to drop domestic crime, and it did. In fact domestic crime reached very close to 0(Zero) percent.
  Even including the violent crime committed by the mob, it was still down. It was very successful.
  Interesting note, anything with any violence at all was splashed on the front page by newspaper who lost money becasue they lost liquor advertising.
  
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7. Re:Obligatory by OhSoLaMeow · 2013-10-16 07:36 · Score: 1
  
  In Soviet Russia, meteorite breaks scale!
  In America meteorite only breaks scissors.
  
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  They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
8. Re:Obligatory by geekoid · 2013-10-16 07:37 · Score: 1
  
  Of course we read it. Usually twice. Then we fix it, send a note to the manufacture with correct instructions, then use whatever it is the manual was for. Now you geeks like to blow off the manual, and then whine about the device and how its no good becasue you don't understand it. Nerd on the other hand, actually like to know what they are doing.
  
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  The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
9. Re:Obligatory by rockout · 2013-10-16 07:55 · Score: 1
  
  {{citation needed}}
  
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  I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
10. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 09:52 · Score: 1
  
  If people were drinking any alcohol at all, then crime was very much higher than zero.
  Reported crime? was zero? But, since selling alcohol was a crime then I suspect that there was a good deal of crime going on.
11. Re:Obligatory by volmtech · 2013-10-16 10:59 · Score: 1
  
  Due to the government shutdown crime statistics are unavailable.
12. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 13:09 · Score: 1
  
  Here are some:
  http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2011/06/long-term-trend-in-homicide-rates.html
  http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00492/Crime_Rate.htm
  http://www.albany.edu/~wm731882/organized_crime1_final.html
  http://polyticks.com/polyticks/beararms/liars/usa.htm
  Of course, they completely contradict the gp's statement. Prohibition coincided with a strong uptick of violent crime.
13. Re:Obligatory by Guest316 · 2013-10-16 15:40 · Score: 2
  
  Drinking wasn't illegal. People who saw Prohibition coming and could afford it stocked up on booze, and as long as they weren't making/selling/distributing it, they were legal.
More updates by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 03:59 · Score: 5, Funny

From the Russian site:
"Scientists were initially baffled with reports that the meteorite fragments were hollow, but after arriving at the site stated that this was in fact completely normal as was the trail of slime leading into the nearby forest. Russian military sources state that the ongoing training exercises in this forest are completely unrelated."
1. Re:More updates by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:09 · Score: 0
  
  Oh My!
2. Re:More updates by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:40 · Score: 0
  
  the meteorite fragments were hollow
  Congress republican politicians recognized the meteorite as one of their own.
3. Re:More updates by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:55 · Score: 0
  
  ...but were surprised when DNA tests confirmed Hillary Clinton as the father.
4. Re: More updates by ColdWetDog · 2013-10-16 07:20 · Score: 2
  
  Trail of slime?
  Please leave US politicians out of this thread.
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Measuring? by freeze128 · 2013-10-16 04:11 · Score: 1

There is a picture in that article of someone measuring a smaller fragment with some calipers. Is this how scientists measure rocks? It looks like they are only measuring the length of a portion of the rock because the calipers are too shallow to allow complete enclosure.

If that's the case, then what's the point?
1. Re:Measuring? by tripleevenfall · 2013-10-16 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe they are measuring the average diameter, apart from the points and such?
2. Re:Measuring? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:29 · Score: 1
  
  The point is similar to place a coin next to something when you take a picture. To give scale.
  They could have mentioned the surface area in football fields but the size of the rock didn't fit that unit that well.
  It wouldn't surprise me if they took another picture without the calipers first before they realized that there was no way for the viewer to get a sense of the size of the object.
3. Re:Measuring? by SJHillman · 2013-10-16 04:40 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  They're actually calibrating the calipers to the standard Russian measurement of One Space Thingy.
4. Re:Measuring? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:55 · Score: 0
  
  There is a picture in that article of someone measuring a smaller fragment with some calipers. Is this how scientists measure rocks? It looks like they are only measuring the length of a portion of the rock because the calipers are too shallow to allow complete enclosure.
  If that's the case, then what's the point?
  Calipers aren't used to measure, they're used to compare. You open the calipers, then place them against an actual measuring device.
5. Re:Measuring? by disposable60 · 2013-10-16 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  Subdivisions of which are RCH (Regulation Cossack Hair)
  
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6. Re:Measuring? by Darinbob · 2013-10-16 09:11 · Score: 1
  
  It's a pair of calipers specifically intended for use in photo ops.
Just wait by m1ndcrash · 2013-10-16 04:16 · Score: 0

Till it hatches!
is soviet russia by schlachter · 2013-10-16 04:20 · Score: 0

lake hits meteorite

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Probably composed of... by SanDogWeps · 2013-10-16 04:20 · Score: 2

Unobtanium. Only possible explanation...
Crane scale by j-stroy · 2013-10-16 04:22 · Score: 1

Why place it ON a scale when Crane scales can be used.. This could even have been done under water with a lift bag.

At least it will be easier to move now.
1. Re:Crane scale by GodfatherofSoul · 2013-10-16 04:38 · Score: 1
  
  It's about the visual I imagine.
  
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2. Re:Crane scale by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 05:42 · Score: 0
  
  They used what they had on hand? That's my guess.
3. Re:Crane scale by GumphMaster · 2013-10-16 12:17 · Score: 1
  
  The object was weighed suspended from a scale clearly visible at 00:36 in the linked BBC video. The video does not show if the failure was the scale mechanism itself or the collapse of the A-frame/pulley it was suspended from.
  
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  Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
because photo op by decsnake · 2013-10-16 04:25 · Score: 4, Insightful

happens all the time where I work.
public affairs photog says "do something scientific looking"
click
et voila
Obligatory HPL reference. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:35 · Score: 0

The Color Out Of Chebarkul!
Two big meteor impacts in about 100 years? by GodfatherofSoul · 2013-10-16 04:36 · Score: 1

Is it because they hate freedom?

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1. Re:Two big meteor impacts in about 100 years? by war4peace · 2013-10-16 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  They didn't hate freedom back in 1908.
  
  --
  ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
2. Re:Two big meteor impacts in about 100 years? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 04:52 · Score: 0
  
  freedom made everyone have cameras on their phones.
3. Re:Two big meteor impacts in about 100 years? by disposable60 · 2013-10-16 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  I'm pretty sure the Romanovs hated freedom for anyone not a Romanov.
  
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4. Re:Two big meteor impacts in about 100 years? by war4peace · 2013-10-16 05:44 · Score: 1
  
  Valid for every country, everywhere. Even the "democratic" ones.
  
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Slashdot Officially Sucks by friedmud · 2013-10-16 05:03 · Score: 5, Insightful

After reading the summary and scanning the article (in true Slashdot fasion!) I went to look at the comments... and they are all complete drivel. Tons of stupid jokes and no actual discussion of the event. What the hell has happened here??
Anyway - back on topic: Does anyone else feel like that rock is WAY too big to have only left a 6m hole in the ice? That rock impacting the ice/water would have been an enormous event... it would have vaporized a ton of water and blown the ice away for at least several hundred feet.
Something doesn't add up here.
1. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by PIBM · 2013-10-16 05:10 · Score: 2
  
  I felt the same. Then I stopped caring. Well, rather, so far they've retrieved 20+ 'fragment' of 'something' yet only 4-5 were confirmed to be from a meteor. Let's wait till they confirm that this one was or wasn't before wondering what's going on =)
2. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 05:10 · Score: 0
  
  I would think that the ice sheet would just be punctured (like a bullet passing glass) if there was no hard surface underneath. And that's what happened. Maybe I am wrong..
3. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 05:32 · Score: 0
  
  Does anyone else feel like that rock is WAY too big to have only left a 6m hole in the ice?
  I feel that my experience observing this type of impact is WAY to small for me to judge the size of the hole. Aside from that I don't understand why it appears to be round when the object was coming in at a shallow angle.
  My experiences with rocks and ice is limited to throwing relatively small ones onto ponds to see if it's safe to walk on, or to hear the cool sounding Star Wars blaster noises they make when little ones skim across a thin crust of ice on a lake.
  This reminds me a bit of the whole 9/11 tower conspiracy thing (not to put you in that category). Most people have never blown up anything larger than an M-80, and yet so many of them are suddenly experts on huge complex explosions involving planes and buildings.
  At least we have some people who do have experience with fires in large buildings (and some pretty decent computer models). AFAIK, there isn't any place in the solar system where we have a lot of data involving impacts into water with an ice layer on top.
4. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by Moodie-1 · 2013-10-16 06:25 · Score: 1
  
  Not necessarily. The fact that it broke into two pieces as it passed over Chelyabinsk (watch the videos of the event, there were two large sonic booms, hence two large pieces) implies that it had already been melted down quite a bit. And, yes, there were two large pieces; one of the online videos I've seen (one of the ones taken with a dashboard camera) clearly shows two large flareups.
5. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 06:42 · Score: 0
  
  See.. I tend to believe that the meteor left only a 6m hole in the ice because it seems so ridiculous. Anyone staging the scene would be concerned that it doesn't look right.
6. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by heypete · 2013-10-16 07:22 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The rock would have been at terminal velocity, which is typically less than 200 meters/sec (see here), since it has been slowed by the atmosphere. It's not landing in the lake at cosmic velocities (which would indeed be quite dramatic).
  Using the standard car analogy, imaging dropping a car into the ice from a skyscraper conveniently located next to the ice. The car would not obliterate huge amounts of ice and vaporize large amounts of water -- it'd punch a somewhat-larger-than-car-sized hole in the ice.
7. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by geekoid · 2013-10-16 07:40 · Score: 1
  
  The only thing that doesn't add up is the amount of knowledge you have on the subject.
  For example:
  ". it would have vaporized a ton of water and blown the ice away for at least several hundred feet."
  no, no it wouldn't of. Not even close.
  
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8. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by B1oodAnge1 · 2013-10-16 08:00 · Score: 1
  
  This is correct, and an excellent car analogy.
  
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9. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by heypete · 2013-10-16 08:14 · Score: 1
  
  Apologies: the link didn't get included in my "see here" bit. The actual link is at http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireballs/faqf/#12
10. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 17:26 · Score: 0
  
  What about temperature of the meteorite ?
11. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by friedmud · 2013-10-17 09:45 · Score: 1
  
  Cool - I'm ok with that - that's why I came here to see some discussion ;-)
  Mind providing some insight on why it wouldn't have? The car "analogy" above does give a good "feel" for why that hole wouldn't have been larger (although the terminal velocity of a rock would be somewhat higher than a car).
  A bit of math / physics here would be insightful....
12. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by friedmud · 2013-10-17 09:48 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks for the link (and the "analogy") - that did help... and THIS is what I was hoping to find in the discussion ;-)
13. Re:Slashdot Officially Sucks by friedmud · 2013-10-17 09:52 · Score: 1
  
  Hehe - please don't label me a conspiracy theorist! ;-)
  This is why I wanted to see the discussion - because my own intuition (which I totally agree is not based on any real world experience of such an event) led me to think that the ice hole wasn't right. Unfortunately, everyone was too damn busy making Soviet Russia meme jokes to actually talk about the physics involved...
  But - we've now been able to have a bit of good discourse here in this thread and my understanding has definitely increased from the posts of others...
Chebarkul was an inside job by royallthefourth · 2013-10-16 05:26 · Score: 2

Why didn't the meteorite leave a hole exactly the same size and shape as the object itself?
Clearly this means explosives were used in a controlled demolition of the lake's frozen surface.
1. Re:Chebarkul was an inside job by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 05:42 · Score: 0
  
  OBAAAAAAAAAMAAAAAAAAAA!!!
2. Re:Chebarkul was an inside job by Sockatume · 2013-10-16 22:22 · Score: 1
  
  I think you're giving Truthers a bit too much credit when you compare their models of the world to Looney Tunes cartoons. Looney Tunes physics were at least consistent.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
3. Re:Chebarkul was an inside job by TuringCheck · 2013-10-17 01:57 · Score: 1
  
  Why didn't the meteorite leave a hole exactly the same size and shape as the object itself?
  The initial hole was probably smaller and less circular. However, the warm water rising from the meteor has melted the edge.
News for nerds? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 05:37 · Score: 0

This is anything but news for nerds.
Rock found, scale broken. Nope, nothing.
I have a question by koan · 2013-10-16 05:43 · Score: 1

Why does Russia seem to get more than it's fair share of rocks falling on it?

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1. Re:I have a question by laie_techie · 2013-10-16 07:08 · Score: 1
  
  Why does Russia seem to get more than it's fair share of rocks falling on it?
  Could have something to do with its land area.
2. Re: I have a question by ColdWetDog · 2013-10-16 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Or aliens like Vodka.
  
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  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
3. Re:I have a question by n0w33d · 2013-10-16 07:30 · Score: 1
  
  No. There is strong evidence that it is related to the activity of SCP-736 (Saturnian moon Iapetus). http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-736
4. Re:I have a question by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 11:04 · Score: 0
  
  OMG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07I_KER5fE ITS THE bugs!!!
5. Re:I have a question by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 12:59 · Score: 0
  
  http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?t=crmtb01&f=ob&i=area%20world%2Frussia
Meteorite Striking by Guru80 · 2013-10-16 05:44 · Score: 1

...my unintended moderation.
I am glad! by NotFamous · 2013-10-16 06:12 · Score: 0

I am glad the Jimmy Hoffa finally came back down.

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Freedom for me, FUCK YOU for you. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 06:13 · Score: 0

corruption made everyone have a camera on their automobile dashboard. this is relevant how?
I'm disappointed by OhSoLaMeow · 2013-10-16 07:34 · Score: 1

Here you have this great line:

and managed to destroy the scale used to weigh it when it hit 570kg
and nobody makes a "your Mom" joke?

--
They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
1. Re:I'm disappointed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-17 08:37 · Score: 0
  
  Here you have this great line:
  
  and managed to destroy the scale used to weigh it when it hit 570kg
  and nobody makes a "your Mom" joke?
  I had a joke prepared, but your mom at it.
  You're welcome.
Off-topic by fritsd · 2013-10-16 07:37 · Score: 1

Subdivisions of which are RCH (Regulation Cossack Hair)
Er was eens een vrouwtje uit Naarden ...

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scale of destruction by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 07:53 · Score: 0

...and managed to destroy the scale used to weigh it when it hit 570kg.
It then turned to the assembled onlookers and said "Kneel before Zod!"
Mars by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-16 14:19 · Score: 0

Was it from Mars as well?
Worth a ton! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-17 05:17 · Score: 0

Wow, at $1.50/gram that thing is worth over $750k ....with a meteorite that popular it would probably net more :-D