[meteorite-list] Chelyabinsk trajectory modeling -- how well did we do? Part 1 of 2

[Matson, Robert D.]

Hi Jim,

> What factors are used of any to add to the formula to account for
> the apparent explosion.  In one video, that was posted early on,
> I could thought I could see the main mass coming out of that mess
> and others changing trajectory.

It's an illusion. Meteors don't "explode" like fireworks or TNT.
When they break up, their fragments simply decelerate at different
rates, primarily as a function of size, and to a lesser extent,
shape. The main body can appear to "blast through" a cloud of
this much smaller ablated material that is decelerating more
rapidly due to its greater cross-section/mass ratio.  --Rob