Editor's note: Colin Stuart is an astronomy and science writer,
who also works as a Freelance Astronomer for the Royal
Observatory Greenwich in London. His first book is due to be
published by Carlton Books in September 2013. Follow
@skyponderer on Twitter. London (CNN) -- Reports coming from
Russia suggest that hundreds of people have been injured by a
meteor falling from space. The force of the fireball, which
seems to have crashed into a lake near the town of Chebarkul in
the Ural Mountains, roared through the sky early on Friday
morning local time, blowing out windows and damaging buildings.
This comes on the same day that astronomers and news reporters
alike were turning their attention to a 40 meter asteroid --
known as 2012 DA14 -- which is due for a close approach with
Earth on Friday evening. The asteroid will skirt around our
planet, however, missing by some 27,000 kilometers (16,777
miles). Based on early reports, there is no reason to believe
the two events are connected. And yet it just goes to s