The Sky Was Falling! A Meteoric Airburst Over Russia and the Encounter with 2012 DA14

The live webcast is now available on demand. The Planetary Society's CEO, Bill Nye the Science Guy, joined Director of Projects Bruce Betts as 45-meter asteroid 2012 DA14 passed within 27,000 kilometers or 17,000 miles of Earth. Bill and Bruce also marveled at video of the window-shattering meteor burst high over a city in Russia. Their special guest was 2012 DA14 co-discoverer Jaime Nomen of La Sagra Observatory in Spain.  Jaime also provided a fascinating video tour of the La Sagra facility.  Hear our team answer questions from the thousands of viewers who tuned in. 

Looking for comprehensive, ongoing coverage of the Russian meteor burst?  Start with Emily Lakdawalla's blog post that gathers many of the best online resources.  Emily will share more news, including any word of recovered meteorites, in the blog.

Hey Society members!  Thanks so much for enabling us to bring you these stories!  You also made the discovery of 2012 DA14 possible through the Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO grant that bought the critical camera for La Sagra.  You are helping other astronomers around the world to discover and track these objects, even as the Society supports research into deflecting the rocks that threaten us, through such innovative projects as Laser Bees.  We're not just changing the world.  We might be saving it!