Sergey Bogachev: Approximately Ten Chelyabinsk-Sized Meteorites Have Struck Earth in the Last Decade
October 11, 2025
A meteorite approaches Earth. Archival photo. © Pixabay / 9866112
MOSCOW, October 11, 2025. Large meteorites, comparable in scale to the Chelyabinsk event, regularly impact Earth. However, these occurrences often go unnoticed by the majority of people due to the vast uninhabited or very sparsely populated areas across our planet. This was stated in an interview by Sergey Bogachev, head of the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Bogachev explained that meteorite falls are typically observed from space. Satellites detect bright flashes indicating atmospheric entry. These space-based observations demonstrate that meteorites strike Earth much more frequently than ground reports suggest. The reason is simple: many land in vast oceans, impenetrable taiga regions, or the expansive wilderness of Antarctica—places where human presence is extremely minimal.
The astronomer noted that the Chelyabinsk meteorite was indeed one of the most significant events of the last ten years. Nevertheless, according to meteorite fall maps, approximately ten other meteorites of comparable size were recorded during the same period. These objects simply fell in remote areas where there were no eyewitnesses, photographers, or dashcam recorders, and were documented exclusively by satellites.
According to the scientist, numerous meteorites smaller than Chelyabinsk have fallen during this time, with very small particles reaching Earth daily. Specialized services register three to four new bolides every day. However, Bogachev emphasized that often nothing from these bolides reaches the Earth`s surface, as most of their mass burns up in the atmosphere.
The Chelyabinsk meteorite, which fell in the Urals on February 15, 2013, measured approximately 19.8 meters. Although there were no fatalities, over 1,600 people were injured, 52 of whom required hospitalization.
