LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Habitat for Humanity Lake County has received another substantial donation to assist in its effort to improve the county’s housing.

State Farm Agent Nanette Dutcher recently presented the nonprofit with a $5,000 check from State Farm's Good Neighbor Program.

Tammy Brigham, administrator for Habitat for Humanity Lake County, said the grant will be used for the home repair program, enabling them to offer services to more homes than expected.

“We have, to date, repaired more than 50 homes in the county and have funds to do many more,” Brigham said.

Brigham said low income homeowners in need of health and safety related repairs may apply at the  Habitat for Humanity office in Lower Lake, 16285 Main St. No. A, or call the office at 707-994-1100 for more information or an application.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has several new cats available for adoption this week.

The cats range in age from 7 months to 3 years, with a variety of coat lengths and colors.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

‘Monkey’

“Monkey” is a 2 year old female domestic short hair mix.

She has a black and white coat, weighs 7 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 7, ID No. 35538.

Female torbie

This female torbie mix is 7 months old.

She has a short coat, weighs nearly 7 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 20, ID No. 35667.

Domestic long hair mix

This male domestic long hair mix is 3 years old.

He has a white and gray coat, green eyes and weighs 7 pounds. He has not yet been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 21, ID No. 35630.

Gray and white tabby

This male gray and white tabby is 3 years old.

He has a short coat, weighs 10 pounds and has been altered.

He’s in cat room kennel No. 22, ID No. 35512.

Gray tabby

This gray tabby is of undetermined gender and age.

The cat has green eyes and a curly coat, and it was not reported if it had yet been altered.

Find this tabby in cat room kennel No. 67, ID No. 35597.

Orange and white tabby

This orange and white tabby is 7 months old.

The cat, whose gender was not reported, weighs 10 pounds and has a short coat.

Find the cat in cat room kennel No. 91, ID No. 35668.

Female brown tabby

This female brown tabby is 3 years old.

She weighs 8 pounds, has a long brown striped coat and green eyes, and has been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 106, ID No. 35417.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Children and adults enjoyed an evening of fun and learning at Lower Lake Elementary School’s recent “Family Science Night”

The annual event was held on Thursday, Feb. 28.

Science teacher Lisa Rogers organized en evening of learning featuring robots, telescopes, millipedes and plenty of enthusiastic young people who shared exhibits and fun experiments.

Lake County News videographer John Jensen visited with the students, and produced the video report featured above.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The last in a series of community meetings on the drafting of a new Clearlake General Plan is scheduled for this weekend, at which time residents will have the chance to give input on the proposals.

The meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 9, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

This will be the fourth community meeting held in the plan drafting process, which began last fall, as Lake County News has reported.

The city of Clearlake, thanks to a grant from the Lake County/City Area Planning Council, was able to hire a team of graduate students with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s City and Regional Planning Department to work on updating the city’s general plan, which City Manager Joan Phillipe said was well out of date.

Phillipe told Lake County News that she’s been delighted with the process so far.

The first meeting last fall had a low turnout – due, in part, Phillipe believes, to other events that day.

She credited the students with taking the initiative and going into the community to get comments using the same questions as were used in the workshop. The next two workshops were well attended, she said.

“Attendees have come to participate, are engaged and are providing good, sound comments,” Phillipe said. “Each workshop brings new people and new faces which I think is indicative of the enthusiasm we are seeing from many about the work the city is doing to bring its planning documents up to date, to create forward and positive movement in boosting the city’s ability to be proactive in creating a more fiscally healthy community and generally to know where we are going.”

Dr. Cornelius Nuworsoo of Cal Poly, the project’s director, said the team has had a positive experience in Clearlake.

“This has been a wonderful process for us, the cooperation and enthusiasm of Clearlake’s residents and the leadership has been great. Their dedication to envisioning a bright future for their city inspires our team to do their very best,” Nuworsoo said.

At the Saturday meeting the Cal Poly team will present its final preferred growth alternative with growth impacts,

Members of the community are invited to attend and give their feedback. The team said all comments will be integrated into a final draft that will be submitted to the city.

“We have seen growing attendance at each of our meetings, over 40 people came to our last community meeting. We see this as strong community investment in the importance of this process,” said team member Nikki Streegan.

Streegan added that the team hopes to deliver a final product that is a great guide for future development in the city.

Phillipe said she’s very impressed with the students’ ability to listen and actually hear what the community says.  

“They come back to each successive workshop with scenarios that clearly are based on community interest and input, not their view of what the city should necessarily be,” she said. “The students are producing professional planning quality work. I have been very pleased with what has been produced to date.”

For more information about the plan and the process, visit www.planclearlake.weebly.com .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The weak weather system that moved over Lake County Sunday brought light showers in the afternoon over localized areas, but sunny skies should return today before more rain is on tap beginning on Tuesday.

The weather is predicted to be sunny and warm Monday according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

However, forecasters said a weather system from the Gulf of Alaska will drop into Lake County and Northern California on Tuesday, bringing much cooler weather and rains with the potential for small hail, gusty winds and possible thunderstorms into Wednesday.

Western Weather Group Lake County predicted up to a half-inch of much-needed rain overnight Tuesday into Wednesday with isolated thunderstorms, as unsettled weather continues over Lake County.

Daytime highs Monday should reach into the low- to mid- 60s, with chances for rain and clouds returning overnight and temperatures dipping once again into the mid-30s.

With an 80 percent chance of rain on Tuesday according to forecasters, high temperatures early this week will only reach into the 50s as rains are expected to continue through Wednesday.

Skies are forecast to clear by Thursday, although temperatures will remain cool with the possibility for overnight frost on both Thursday and Friday nights in some areas, according to the forecast.

Warm and sunny weather is expected to return by the weekend, according to forecasters, with possible rains returning early next week.

Email Terre Logsdon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county’s animal shelter this week has another large selection of dogs available for adoption.

The dogs are different ages, breeds, sizes and temperaments, but all need the same thing – a loving home.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Terrier mix

This female terrier mix is 5 years old.

She has a short tan coat and weighs 23 pounds. It was not reported if she had been altered.

Find her in kennel No. 6, ID No. 35601.

Shepherd-pit bull terrier mix

This male shepherd-pit bull terrier mix is 13 weeks old.

He has a short brown-brindle coat and has not been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 35680.

Dachshund-terrier mix

This male dachshund-terrier mix is 10 years old.

He has a short red coat, weighs nearly 12 pounds and has been neutered.

Visit with him in kennel No. 8, ID No. 35644.

Rottweiler-Labrador Retriever mix

This female Rottweiler-Labrador Retriever mix is 4 months old.

She has a short brown and black coat. It was not been reported if she has been altered.

She’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 35681.

Brown brindle female

This female dog is of unspecified breed and age.

She’s of medium size, with a short brown brindle coat. It was not reported if she had been altered.

She’s in kennel No. 10, ID No. 35679.

'Milo'

“Milo” is a 1 year old male Chihuahua mix.

He has a short tan coat and has been altered.

He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 35533.

‘Leo’

“Leo” is a 10 month old male Labrador Retriever mix.

He has a short buff-colored coat, weighs 70 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 14, ID No. 35407.

‘Jitsue’

“Jitsue” is a 10 month old female Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short chocolate-colored coat, weighs 62 pounds and has been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 16, ID No. 35408.

‘Rusty’

“Rusty” is a 1 year old Catahoula Leopard Dog-shepherd mix.

He has a short tricolored coat and weighs 49 pounds. It was not reported if he had been altered or not.

Find him in kennel No. 18, ID No. 35627.

Border collie mix

This female border collie mix is 8 months old.

She has a medium length black and white coat, weighs nearly 33 pounds and has been altered.

She's in kennel No. 20, ID No. 35507.

Labrador Retriever mix

This male Labrador Retriever mix is 6 years old.

He has a medium-length coat, weighs 79 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 22, ID No. 35623.

Chihuahua-terrier mix

This male Chihuahua-terrier mix is 2 years old.

He has a short black and brown coat, and has been altered.

Find him in kennel No. 23b, ID No. 35473.

Australian Cattle Dog-blue heeler

This female Australian Cattle Dog-blue heeler mix is 1 year old.

She has a long black coat and has not been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 35659.

Female retriever mix

This female retriever mix is 4 years old.

She has a short tan coat, weighs 60 pounds and has been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 26, ID No. 35528.

Please note: Dogs listed at the county shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Residents, employees, businesses and others with an interest in potential improvements on and near Highway 29 in Lake County are encouraged to provide comments and suggestions on the State Route 29 Transportation Project.

Comments can be submitted through Friday, March 22, through the planning project’s Web site at http://www.lakecountysr29.com/public-comment/ .

The overall planning project includes a SR 29 South Corridor Engineered Feasibility Study (EFS) and Middletown Community Action Plan (CAP), which will identify transportation improvements to make intraregional and interregional travel safer and more convenient, reduce congestion and address local community needs.

The SR 29 South Corridor EFS will identify and analyze potential short-term and long-term transportation improvements from the Napa County line to Highway 53 in Lower Lake.  

The CAP will focus on potential roadway improvements in Middletown, including bike, pedestrian, transit and equestrian alternatives.

The project is managed by Caltrans and the Lake County/City Area Planning Council, and is scheduled for completion in the fall 2013.

“The outcomes of this project will be shaped directly by public input, and we’re hoping to gather a significant amount of additional information and ideas through the use of the online tool,” said Rex Jackman, chief of System, Regional and Community Planning for Caltrans.

In addition to providing online comments, interested community members also can provide feedback at three community meetings planned for later in the year.  

A Jan. 22 community meeting in Middletown attracted 70 area stakeholders.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration have partnered to designate March 3-9, 2013, as National Severe Weather Preparedness Week.

Cal EMA joins FEMA and NOAA to share the “Being a Force of Nature” message, and the agencies encourage Californians to know their risk, take action and be an example for others.

California is prone to all types of severe weather events, including flood, drought, severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes – and recent winter storms hitting Northern and Southern California are a reminder that weather can strike anywhere and at anytime.

Just last year, there were more than 450 weather-related fatalities and nearly 2,600 injuries nationally.

Each time severe weather threatens there are stories of ordinary Americans who do the extraordinary to save loved ones – a mother protecting her children by shielding them from flying debris, a homeowner opening up his storm shelter to neighbors, neighbors helping a senior in a wheelchair get to a safe shelter, individuals ensuring friends are aware of the current watch or warning in their area.

Tornadoes struck approximately 46 states, caused over $1.6 billion in damage and nearly 70 fatalities last year. There were more than 935 tornadoes in 2012, with 206 in April alone. While April and May are peak months, tornadoes happen all year round.

Building a weather-ready nation requires that every individual and community take action because severe weather knows no boundaries and affects everyone. Be a force of nature by making a public pledge to be prepared at www.ready.gov/severe-weather .

What can you do to prepare?

Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions through your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and assist in saving lives.

– Know your risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Every state in the United States has experienced tornadoes and severe weather, so everyone is exposed to some degree of risk. Check the weather forecast regularly and visit www.ready.gov/severe-weather to learn more about how to be better prepared and how you can protect your family during emergencies.

– Pledge and take action: Be force of nature by taking the pledge to prepare at www.ready.gov/severe-weather . When you pledge to prepare, you will take the first step to making sure that you and your family are prepared for severe weather. This includes filling out your family communications plan that you can email to yourself, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and getting involved. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio, and check to see if your cell phone is equipped to receive wireless emergency alerts and sign up for localized alerts from emergency management officials. Stay informed by having multiple sources for weather alerts – NOAA Weather Radio, www.weather.gov and wireless emergency alerts. Subscribe to receive alerts at http://www.weather.gov/subscribe .

– Be an example: Once you have taken action and pledged to be a force of nature, share your story with your family and friends. Create a video and post on a video sharing site; post your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, comment on a blog or share through any other social media site. Technology today makes it easier than ever to be a good example and share the steps you took to help us achieve the vision of a weather-ready nation.

Information on the different types of severe weather such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flooding is available at http://www.weather.gov and www.ready.gov/severe-weather .

Something unexpected is happening on the sun.

This year is supposed to be the year of Solar Max, the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle. Yet 2013 has arrived and solar activity is relatively low. Sunspot numbers are well below their values in 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent for many months.

The quiet has led some observers to wonder if forecasters missed the mark. Solar physicist Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center has a different explanation.

“This is solar maximum,” he suggested. “But it looks different from what we expected because it is double peaked.”

Conventional wisdom holds that solar activity swings back and forth like a simple pendulum. At one end of the cycle, there is a quiet time with few sunspots and flares. At the other end, Solar Max brings high sunspot numbers and solar storms. It’s a regular rhythm that repeats every 11 years.

Reality, however, is more complicated. Astronomers have been counting sunspots for centuries, and they have seen that the solar cycle is not perfectly regular.

For one thing, the back-and-forth swing in sunspot counts can take anywhere from 10 to 13 years to complete; also, the amplitude of the cycle varies. Some solar maxima are very weak, others very strong.

Pesnell noted yet another complication: “The last two solar maxima, around 1989 and 2001, had not one but two peaks.”

Solar activity went up, dipped, then resumed, performing a mini-cycle that lasted about two years.

The same thing could be happening now. Sunspot counts jumped in 2011, dipped in 2012, and Pesnell expects them to rebound again in 2013.

“I am comfortable in saying that another peak will happen in 2013 and possibly last into 2014,” he predicted.

Another curiosity of the solar cycle is that the sun’s hemispheres do not always peak at the same time. In the current cycle, the south has been lagging behind the north. The second peak, if it occurs, will likely feature the southern hemisphere playing catch-up, with a surge in activity south of the sun’s equator.

Pesnell is a leading member of the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle Prediction Panel, a blue-ribbon group of solar physicists who assembled in 2006 and 2008 to forecast the next Solar Max.

At the time, the sun was experiencing its deepest minimum in nearly a hundred years. Sunspot numbers were pegged near zero and x-ray flare activity flat-lined for months at a time.

Recognizing that deep minima are often followed by weak maxima, and pulling together many other threads of predictive evidence, the panel issued this statement: “The Solar Cycle 24 Prediction Panel has reached a consensus. The panel has decided that the next solar cycle (Cycle 24) will be below average in intensity, with a maximum sunspot number of 90. Given the date of solar minimum and the predicted maximum intensity, solar maximum is now expected to occur in May 2013. Note, this is not a unanimous decision, but a supermajority of the panel did agree.”

Given the tepid state of solar activity in Feb. 2013, a maximum in May now seems unlikely.

“We may be seeing what happens when you predict a single amplitude and the Sun responds with a double peak,” said Pesnell.

Incidentally, Pesnell noted a similarity between Solar Cycle 24, under way now, and Solar Cycle 14, which had a double-peak during the first decade of the 20th century. If the two cycles are in fact twins, “it would mean one peak in late 2013 and another in 2015.”

No one knows for sure what the sun will do next. It seems likely, though, that the end of 2013 could be a lot livelier than the beginning.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LUCERNE, Calif. – Following a local agency board’s decision last week to terminate a food provider contract with the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, the center’s executive director said they are regrouping and planning to continue offering other services to the community.

Robert Clifton, the center’s director, said the center will remain open and carry on with current services, including food and classes, with the center board due to meet, regroup and discuss its plans for moving forward.

The board for the Area Agency on Aging for Lake and Mendocino Counties voted unanimously last Thursday to terminate its provider contract with the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center after it was listed as a “high risk” provider based on a state monitoring report, as Lake County News has reported.

The Area Agency on Aging Board said its other contracts were at risk if it didn’t act, and so voted for the contract termination, which goes into effect in 30 days from the Feb. 28 vote.

While there is an appeal process, Clifton said the center won’t appeal the Feb. 28 termination vote.

“What would be the point?” Clifton asked. “The people in that room had made up their minds based on bogus information.”

The “bogus” information Clifton alleged was used for the decision came from the state’s monitoring report, which said the center food program didn’t follow the proper guidelines.

Last week, Jonathan Crooks of the Lakeport Senior Center and Pat Grabham of the Live Oak Senior Center in Clearlake Oaks indicated that they would work to deliver meals to seniors who were served under Lucerne’s contract.

Area Agency on Aging Program Coordinator Mike Parkinson said the 2012-13 fiscal year contract with the senior center totaled $66,084, of which nearly $61,000 went to nutrition programs.

That totals a little over half of what it takes to currently run the center; Clifton said the center’s budget currently is running at about $10,000 to $11,000 a month. The center also is supported through donations and facility rentals.

While the contract loss is significant, Clifton said the center can run less expensively – at about $5,000 per month – if it’s not required to carry out the food programs under the Area Agency on Aging contract, including the Meals on Wheels program.

“Under this contract we had to charge people that were under 60 a certain price and then we had to give the food away if they were over 60 and didn't have the money,” said Clifton. “Now, instead of giving the food away, we'll charge.”

He said the center hasn’t lost its ability to do business, and that while they’re sad about no longer offering Meals on Wheels, they will still be providing high quality meals to community members.

Clifton said the center makes everything from scratch, and offers a variety of full course meals for about $4 or $5 per person. He said people who eat at the center – many of whom are not seniors – give great feedback on the food.

The day after the vote to terminate the center’s contract, Clifton said 14 people walked into the center at different times, asking how they could help and offering to volunteer.

“I’m feeling just bolstered by the community involvement that I’m getting here,” he said.

He said the center has worked hard over the past two years to pay off $30,000 in debt and renovate about 60 percent of the 1930s-era building, all of which was done with the community’s help.

Clifton said the center wants to continue to serve meals, hold fundraisers, host theatrical events, offer facilities for rent and educational classes, and provide other services for seniors and the community at large.

“We're optimistic,” he said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport resident Phil Myers joined members of the Parkinson’s disease community from across the country in Washington, D.C. for the Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) Forum Feb. 25-27.

Myers recently was appointed and trained as a Parkinson’s research advocate for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

“The PAN Forum was an incredible opportunity to join forces with other advocates from across the country and have our voices heard in Washington,” Myers said. “I am excited to represent the people of Lake County in our nation’s capital, and am working hard to make a difference for people with Parkinson’s and their families.”

At the PAN Forum, people living with Parkinson’s, their families and caregivers, scientists and researchers, and others working toward finding a cure for Parkinson’s came together in the nation’s capital to hear updates on the latest Parkinson’s disease research and learn about what role the federal government plays in Parkinson’s research.

They also attended grassroots advocacy workshops to learn how they can best educate lawmakers on issues important to the Parkinson’s community and met with members of Congress and their staff to talk about ways in which the government can support efforts to find better treatments and a cure, as well as improve the quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s.

During the forum, Myers worked work with a team of advocates from California and met with Congressman Mike Thompson’s staff as well as Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s staff and Sen. Barbara Boxer’s staff to share information and updates about Parkinson’s disease, biomedical research funding and jobs in California and to specifically ask for their vote on certain issues that matter to people with Parkinson’s and their families.

The Parkinson’s Action Network is the unified voice of the Parkinson’s community advocating for better treatments and a cure.

In partnership with other Parkinson’s organizations and our powerful grassroots network, PAN educates the public and government leaders on better policies for research and an improved quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s.

For more information, visit www.parkinsonsaction.org .

The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation is a leading national presence in Parkinson’s disease research, education and public advocacy. Since its founding in 1957, PDF has dedicated over $96 million to fund the work of leading scientists throughout the world and over $40 million to support national education and advocacy initiatives for more information, go to www.pdf.org .

When the sun rose over Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday, Feb. 15, many residents of nearby Chelyabinsk already knew that a space rock was coming.

Later that day, an asteroid named 2012 DA14 would pass by Earth only 17,200 miles above Indonesia. There was no danger of a collision, NASA assured the public.

Maybe that's why, when the morning sky lit up with a second sun and a shock wave shattered windows in hundreds of buildings around Chelyabinsk, only a few people picking themselves off the ground figured it out right away. This was not a crashing plane or a rocket attack.

“It was a meteor strike--the most powerful since the Tunguska event of 1908,” says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

In a coincidence that still has NASA experts shaking their heads, a small asteroid completely unrelated to 2012 DA14 struck Earth only hours before the publicized event.

The impactor flew out of the blue, literally from the direction of the sun where no telescope could see it, and took everyone by surprise.

“These are rare events and it is incredible to see them happening on the same day,” said Paul Chodas of NASA's near-Earth Object Program at JPL.

Researchers have since pieced together what happened. The most telling information came from a network of infrasound sensors operated by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). Their purpose is to monitor nuclear explosions.

Infrasound is a type of very low-frequency sound wave that only elephants and a few other animals can hear.

It turns out that meteors entering Earth's atmosphere cause ripples of infrasound to spread through the air of our planet.

By analyzing infrasound records, it is possible to learn how long a meteor was in the air, which direction it traveled, and how much energy it unleashed.

The Russian meteor's infrasound signal was was the strongest ever detected by the CTBTO network. The furthest station to record the sub-audible sound was 15,000km away in Antarctica.

Western Ontario Professor of Physics Peter Brown analyzed the data. “The asteroid was about 17 meters in diameter and weighed approximately 10,000 metric tons,” he reported. “It struck Earth's atmosphere at 40,000 mph and broke apart about 12 to 15 miles above Earth's surface. The energy of the resulting explosion exceeded 470 kilotons of TNT.” For comparison, the first atomic bombs produced only 15 to 20 kilotons.

Based on the trajectory of the fireball, analysts have also plotted its orbit. “It came from the asteroid belt, about 2.5 times farther from the sun than Earth,” said Cooke.

Comparing the orbit of the Russian meteor to that of 2012 DA14, Cooke has shown that there is no connection between the two. “These are independent objects,” he said. “The fact that they reached Earth on the same day, one just a little closer than the other, appears to be a complete coincidence.”

Infrasound records confirm that the meteor entered the atmosphere at a shallow angle of about 20 degrees and lasted more than 30 seconds before it exploded.

The loud report, which was heard and felt for hundreds of miles, marked the beginning of a scientific scavenger hunt.

Thousands of fragments of the meteor are now scattered across the Ural countryside, and a small fraction have already been found.

Preliminary reports, mainly communicated through the media, suggest that the asteroid was made mostly of stone with a bit of iron – “in other words, a typical asteroid from beyond the orbit of Mars,” said Cooke. “There are millions more just like it.”

And that is something to think about as the cleanup in Chelyabinsk continues.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.