Astronomers track tiny asteroid's entry down to the minute it created a fireball over Russia
NASA and ESA planetary defense offices tracked the asteroid as it broke up over Russia creating a fireball in the sky. The asteroid was discovered about 12 hours before it created a fireball over Siberia.
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FILE: CCTV footage from the city of Cadiz in southwestern Spain shows a fireball shooting across the sky on May 19, 2024.
Astronomers predicted when and where a tiny asteroid would create a fireball in the sky over remote Russia roughly 12 hours after its discovery.
On Tuesday, the European Space Agency and NASA said a small asteroid estimated to be about 2.5 feet in diameter was spotted on a collision course with Earth.
"The impact will be harmless, likely producing a nice fireball in the sky over northern Siberia around seven hours from now," the ESA said on X.
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NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office predicted the impact down to the minute, saying the asteroid would impact Earth at 11:14 a.m. EST on Tuesday. The impact was observed just one minute later than the predicted entry.
An asteroid lights up the sky in Lensk, Sakha Republic, Russia, December 4, 2024, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. Sakha Republic Ministry Of Internal Affairs/via REUTERS
(Reuters)
The office also predicted the location would be over eastern Russia’s Olyukminky District.
Reuters reports emergency officials in the remote area of Yakutia were told about the asteroid’s approach.
"Residents of Olekminsk and Lensk districts were able to observe in the night a tail similar to a comet and a flash," the emergency ministry said.
Social media users posted photos and videos of the bright fireball streaking through the night sky.
NASA said the asteroid was first detected by the University of Arizona’s Bok telescope roughly 12 hours before its arrival.
The impact prediction was yet another success by the Scout system from NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies and the 11th asteroid impact forecast ahead of time this year.
"Thanks to observations from astronomers around the world, our alert system was able to predict this impact to within +/- 10 seconds," ESA said on X.
The asteroid has been given the temporary name of COWEPC5.