Amazing Compilation - 12 Crazy Videos of the Russian Meteor Strike

At roughly 9:26 a.m. local time Friday morning, a meteor exploded over Russia's Chelyabinsk region, lighting up the skies and sending a shockwave racing across the landscape. Media reports said that about 500 people or so were injured, mainly from glass and other debris that the shockwave hurled through the air.

According to Russia's space agency, the meteor was traveling about 19 miles per second and exploded roughly 950 miles away from the country's capital city of Moscow. It reportedly had nothing to do with asteroid 2012 DA14, which is scheduled to pass within 17,100 miles of Earth around 2:24 p.m. ET on Friday before heading off into space. (The asteroid is unlikely to strike a communication satellite or other satellite in orbit around the Earth.)

A decade ago, we would have had to rely on our own imaginations to picture the scene, or perhaps a well-timed photograph that a news reporter captured. The aftermath of the meteor would certainly be well documented; videos of damage, such as of this factory, are already being produced and circulated. But today, given the prevalence of always-on dashcams used by most Russian drivers, plus closed-circuit television, means that we can have a real-time glimpse of what happened as the meteor hit. Some of the shots are so well-framed you'd swear they're fake - but the other videos, showing the same thing, prove they're not.
Probably the best and most unexpected aspect of the videos are the shockwave - a loud boom that hits several seconds after the meteor trail. It looks like the exhaust from some massive rocket and breaks through the peace of the morning. In one video, the observers looks silently from what we presume must be a bedroom window, only to jolt and flinch as the shockwave cracks the silence. Other videos, filmed by local men, reproduce the "oh s**t!!" moment over and over.
Here are 12 of the best videos posted to YouTube.

[b]Highway Dash Cam:[/b] This highway dash cam provides a great shot as the meteor enters the atmosphere. Your first reaction will probably be, "Oh, this is fake," until you look at the others.

[b]Watching at the Stoplight:[/b] A perfectly framed shot. The meteor is shown falling on an angled trajectory from left to right, flaring up before it fizzles out near the right of the screen.

[b]Meteor Plus Shockwave = BOOM: [/b]This video has a "volume warning" attached to it, and for good reason: the cameraman is nearly at "ground zero" for the meteor strike. A few seconds into it, a shockwave races across the landscape, setting off car alarms and shattering windows. Listen for excited Russians presumably sharing variations on "Holy Scheinekes!"

[b]Eerie Delayed Shockwave:[/b] You can see why so many people were injured. This appears to be just a quiet video of the meteor trail. But, about 30 seconds in: boom! The camera shakes and dogs start barking. One of the more eerie videos that Russians posted.

[b]Dashcam Compilation:[/b] Russia Today put together a compilation of some of the dashcam shots that Russians took of the meteor. Most aren't quite as good as some of the other videos listed here, as the camera didn't capture the meteor, just the effects of the bright light it generated.

[b]Russian Freaks Out:[/b] A local captures the video streaking through the sky, and then freaks out as the shockwave hits him. Watch the camera shake, nearly fall, and then pan back and forth. You can almost hear the guy think to himself: "OMG WE'RE UNDER ATTACK."

[b]More Traffic and Dash Cams: [/b]Another collection of traffic camera and dashboard cameras, with some new footage that wasn't shown elsewhere. The more distant shots indicate how brightly the meteor lit up the morning sky.

A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and reportedly injuring around 100 people, including many hurt by broken glass.

[b]Cat's Eye View of the Meteor:[/b] An older cameraphone captures the meteor's trail as it streaks overhead. By this time, experienced viewers will be waiting for the shockwave to hit. You won't be disappointed.

A powerful Russian meteorite, meteor blast the Russian region of the Urals early on Friday with bright objects, Russia meteorite may be part of Giant Asteroid to Hit Earth identified as possible meteorites, falling from the sky, emergency officials said.
"It was definitely not a plane," an emergency official told Reuters, without elaborating. "We are gathering the bits of information and have no data on the casualties so far."

[b]Don't Flinch!: Too late.[/b] This quick video of the meteor is timed to reveal the meteor's trail, and then: "Aaggh!" Wouldn't you have the same reaction?

[Explosions in Chelyabinsk; Meteor Suspected (UPDATED)


[b]Yikes![/b] Just another day... hey, look! What's that in the sky? Look at that trail! BANG! OK, back to work... We prefer the other videos where Russians freak out, but this isn't bad, either.
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[b]Shockwave, Caught Live on CCTV: [/b]While the shockwave is simply startling on some of these other videos, Russia Today's compilation of internal CCTV footage shows what happened when the meteor exploded, and the shockwave hitting offices and other buildings, as it happened. One of the best videos from the scene.

The Russian Urals region has been stricken by a sudden cosmic attack. Meteorite exploded over several major cities, including Chelyabinsk, where the blast waves blew out windows and disrupted mobile connections. FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES:

[b]Aftermath:[/b] Damage to a local factory and other buildings is documented in this video.

Reportedly at least one piece of the fallen meteorite caused damage on the ground in Chelyabinsk. According to reports, it crashed into a wall near a zinc factory, disrupting the city's Internet and mobile service. Witnesses said the explosion was so loud that it seemed like an earthquake and thunder had struck at the same time, and that there were huge trails of smoke across the sky. MORE INFO & PHOTOS: http://on.rt.com/qn2v57