KEY POINTS
Anyone can now download StarFall meteor detection software designed by Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory.
Meteors rarely cause terrestrial damage — but accurate and timely detection of potential threats is essential, say StarFall developers.
Many Utah State students are launching their careers at the Space Dynamics Laboratory.
Shortly after first light on Feb. 15, 2013, a meteor blazed across the western Siberian sky before exploding with an estimated blast yield of up to 500 kilotons of TNT — far more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II.
Approximately 1,500 people from the Russian city of Chelyabinsk were injured — mostly caused by flying glass.
Meanwhile, thousands of buildings across the region were damaged.
The Chelyab