The peculiarity of the Feb. 15 meteorite strike is still lingering in the public sphere. Radical Russian politicians are using the U.S. military as an astronomical scapegoat, blameworthy of causing the unforeseen occurrences of the universe.
However, this is not another Cold War or even a global issue but could be more appropriately defined as a cosmological issue that has piqued an existential anxiety in people all over the globe.
According to Forbes, the recent meteorite collision in central Russia, which injured more than 1,000 people and caused major structural damage to schools, houses, and industrial facilities, has deconstructed the inherent security of human beings and has forced people to perceive the world for its more realistic, unpredictable nature.
Statistically, the Feb. 15 meteor strike surmounts other recent occurrences of meteorite strikes in terms of its devastation on humans. Although the high number of Russians injured from the impact is pertinent to the decently sized population of the Chelyabinsk region, the meteorite is documented as being the biggest of its type in nearly 100 years.
Specifically, according to DrexelNow, the meteorite that struck Earth’s surface on Feb. 15 was about 10 meters across and 10 tons in weight, and was traveling at an alarming rate of 11 kilometers per second or 25,000 miles per hour – more than 30 times the speed of sound.
To put the numbers in perspective, DA14, an asteroid that came within about 28,000 kilometers of colliding with Earth the same day of the Russian strike, was 45 meters in diameter and was traveling at about 7.8 kilometers per second, according to Arts London News. The asteroid that is thought to have annihilated the dinosaur species is noted as being around ten kilometers in diameter.
Although DA14 was predicted to miss Earth about a year ago, its actual proximity to Earth is still chilling, not to mention our complete ignorance of the Russian meteorite that was soon to follow.
This begs several questions. How safe are we on planet Earth? How well can we predict similar catastrophes in the future? And are we aptly adjusted, scientifically, to avert major destruction and find refuge in other regions?
According to DrexelNow, one factor to consider is that smaller meteorites, like the Russian meteorite, do not create their own light but reflect sunlight. Therefore, the likelihood of distinguishing a 10-meter meteorite traveling more than 30 times the speed of sound, and being essentially unlit, is highly unlikely.
However, according to The Guardian, about 90 percent of meteors and asteroids that are large enough to cause global damage to Earth, anything one kilometer or above, are claimed to be well-known by astronomers.
Sadly, even if astronomers are able to detect asteroids and meteors of colossal proportion, we are currently unable to prevent or escape from them.
Tens of thousands of workers have currently undergone a rebuilding stage in central Russia, but the real worries of humans have just begun.
According to Cathleen Orrence, a Music Education major, the Russian meteorite strike is both fear inducing and indicative of the importance of scientific research.
“I was shocked by the catastrophe in Russia. The fact that an undetected meteor could affect thousands of innocent people should urge our scientists and astronomers to act. We need to research more heavily and find ways to not only identify similar meteorites in the future but have alternative plans in case we do get hit,” Orrence said.
According to astronomers, the next largest asteroid that is most likely to hit Earth is deemed the 2007 VK184, a 130 meter asteroid that has a 1 in 2,000 chance of hitting Earth between 2048 and 2057.
The Feb. 15 meteorite strike in Russia serves as a wakeup call not only for astronomers but also for others. The fact is, existential security is relative to the physics that engulf our planet and our universe.
We are limited scientifically, but with stronger commitment to astronomical studies, we can possibly be better prepared for the next meteor or asteroid strike. If not, we might as well embrace and accept our ontological shortcomings in the bigger picture of human existence.