The meteorite over Chelyabinsk arrived less than a day before asteroid 2012 DA14 was expected to make the closest pass to Earth (about 17,510 miles) of any recorded cosmic body. But experts said the two events were linked by nothing more than coincidence. Rumors and conspiracy theories, however, swirled in the first few hours after the incident. Reports on Russian state television and in local media suggested that the meteorite was engaged by local air defense units and blown apart at an altitude of more than 15 miles.
What is true of the asteroid 2012 DA14?
It passed Earth without hitting it It hit earth 17,510 miles away from the landing site of the meteorite It was blown apart by the Russian military It created panic in Russia