The Aftenposten newspaper in Norway reports that earlyWednesday
morning, the country was struck by a meteor thathad theexplosive
force of the atomic bomb that was dropped onHiroshima in
1945.The meteor hit the side of a mountain. There are no
reportsof damage or casualties, but if the impact was as great
asit appears, it is one of the most significant such events
indecades. Aftenposten quoted Norwegian astronomer Knut J?rgen
R?ed?degaard as saying, "There were ground tremors, a houseshook
and a curtain was blown into the house. This is
simplyexceptional. I cannot imagine that we have had such
apowerful meteorite impact in Norway in modern times. If
themeteorite was as large as it seems to have been, we
cancompare it to the Hiroshima bomb. Of course the meteorite
isnot radioactive, but in explosive force we may be able
tocompare it to the (atomic) bomb." ?degaard seemed surprisedby
the fact that no astronomer anywhere in the world wasaware that
this meteor was on its way. ?degaard said the meteorite was
visibl