The meteor that exploded and showered debris over Russia in February, injuring around 1,500 people, may have had a close shave with the sun earlier, researchers say.
The Chelyabinsk meteorite either collided with another body in the Solar System or came too close to the sun before it fell to Earth, according to research presented at the Goldschmidt conference in Florence. A team from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy in Novosibirsk have analysed fragments of the meteorite, the main body of which fell to the bottom of the Chebarkul Lake. Although all of the fragments are composed of the same minerals, the structure and texture of some fragments show that the meteorite had undergone an intensive melting process.