This morning, many Russians caught an astonishing site as a meteor passed over the town of Chelyabinsk just east of the Ural mountains. The resulting sonic boom shattered thousands of windows, left an estimated 500 people injured and thousands more shaken. What’s more, many people caught the entire thing on tape, watching in awe as the meteor graces the atmosphere during daylight hours, setting the sky on fire and then letting loose a massive thunderclap.

Although there were no confirmed deaths, the full extent of the damage has yet to be fully assessed. And while some believed that the lights were caused by a meteor shower, others believe that it was a single meteor that cut across the sky and exploded in the atmosphere. The explosive force shook the town’s buildings, and it seems as though the 6000-square-foot roof of a Zinc Plant collapsed. Some residents are even saying that fragments of the meteor rained down on the town.

And though there is no definite connection between this meteor strike and asteroid DA14, which passed Earth by today, it is notable that they happened within a day of each other. But just in case people are worried, now might be a good time to remind them that by all reliable accounts, DA14 is expected to miss Earth entirely. Good news for those of us planning on getting up tomorrow morning, alive and uncharred!

Check out this compilation video of the meteor appearing in the sky and the explosive lights show which followed:

And just in case you need a sense of how loud it was, check out this video of the sonic boom:

Source: IO9.com, CBC.ca