Shattered Window From Chelyabinsk Meteorite Impact With Two Chelyabinsk Meteorites

Traveling at a cosmic velocity of 66,000 kilometers per hour (11.3 miles per second) on February 15, 2013 a massive fireball slammed into Earth’s atmosphere over Kazakhstan. Atmospheric drag resulted in enormous pressure having been exerted on what was estimated to be a 12,000 ton mass (in effect, a small asteroid). When the fireball could not withstand the stress, it exploded in a massive air burst over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk releasing 25-times more energy than the atomic bomb which destroyed Hiroshima. Gratefully, the energy was dispersed in all directions 20 miles above the Earth’s surface (unlike atomic weapons which are designed to detonate just above the ground to maximize their destructive force).

Thousands of small meteorites pelted the Earth, two of which are included in this offering, but it was the shockwave — created by the equivalent of approximately 450 tons of TNT — that created the devastation and havoc which will forever be associated with this historic event. Damage to buildings was widespread and more than 1,100 people were injured. While some people were thrown off their feet and others experienced flash blindness, most of the injuries were the result of people who ran to their windows to see what has happening only to have glass shatter in their faces when the shock wave arrived. Chelyabinsk is the only meteorite to have resulted in such widespread injuries. It's also the only meteorite whose final descent was documented by hundreds of security cameras and dash-cams, and the only meteorite impact for which there exists video footage of exploding windows and collapsing walls. Now offered is one such window that overlooked the city of Chelyabinsk, an artifact shattered by the pressure wave from one of the most powerful meteorite events since the dawn of civilization.