The whole event, from the meteor's atmospheric entry to its
disintegration in the air above central Russia, took 32.5
seconds, NASA said. The national space agency, Roscosmos, said
scientists believe one meteoroid entered the atmosphere, where
it burned and disintegrated into fragments. Amateur video
footage showed a bright white streak moving rapidly across the
sky before exploding with an even brighter flash and a deafening
bang. The explosion occurred about 9:20 a.m. local time, as many
people were out and about. A once in a lifetime event Russians
captured vivid images, many using dash cameras inside their
vehicles. Dash cameras are popular in Russia for several
reasons, including possible disputes over traffic accidents and
the corrupt reputations of police in many areas. Drivers install
the cameras for their own protection and to document incidents
they could be caught in. Five regions of Russia, one of them
Chelyabinsk, are thought to have been affected, Itar-Tass said.
RIA Novosti cited emergencies mi