Latvian residents photographed a meteorite falling to the earth (photo)

Russian News Network reported that at about 18:30 local time on October 25, a bright fireball fell near the city of Mazsalac in the Valmijör region of Latvia. Urdis Nurle, a senior expert at the Latvian Center for Environment, Geology and Meteorology, said on the 26th that the fireball that appeared the day before was a huge meteorite, but due to the violent burning that occurred in the process of passing through the atmosphere, the volume of its falling part was only the size of a fist. Despite this, the meteorite still smashed a large crater with a diameter of 20 meters and a depth of 10 meters on the ground.

The meteorite burned violently before it fell
Fortunately, before the meteorite fell, witnesses managed to capture it passing through the atmosphere and burning violently.

Urdis Nurle said: "I arrived at the scene on the night the meteorite fell. It is now certain that the volume of the falling object is not very large, its dimensions are comparable to the size of a fist. He believes that what fell was indeed a meteorite, but a component that fell off a satellite or aircraft. It is reported that scientists will release accurate information about the fallen object as soon as possible after conducting a detailed analysis.

Vladimir Svettsov, a senior researcher at the
Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that what fell in Latvia is likely to be a meteorite mainly composed of iron elements - stone meteorites usually burn up in the atmosphere and are difficult to fall to the ground. He pointed out: "Judging from the images released so far, the meteorite may have a diameter of about 1 meter before crossing the atmosphere, and its mass has reached several tons.

Svettsov said that meteorites of similar size hit the earth almost once a year, but in most cases, they are mostly stone structures, so it is difficult to leave visible traces on the ground. Of the meteorites that hit the earth, iron meteorites account for only about 10%.

According to Ansys Steenbots, a local resident who witnessed and photographed the meteorite fall, he first heard a loud noise from the air before starting filming. He said: "I first heard a sound similar to an airplane engine. It was like a plane flying near the ground. It fell not far from our city of Mazsarac. Mud-stained

meteorite

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After
the fall of the unidentified object, the Latvian military and radiation detection center immediately sent people to the scene of the incident. News released on the morning of the 26th said that trace amounts of radiation had been detected at the fall site.

It should be noted that the meteorite fell to the ground is now an attraction - people from all over Latvia are rushing there to see this rare crater with their own eyes. However, there is now a fee to see the crater at the fall site - Larisa Golashimova, the owner of the land where the crater is located, has now started charging tickets to tourists who come to see it - about $2 each.