Minor Asteroid Creates Spectacular Fireball Over Earth
A small asteroid barreling toward Earth created a stunning fireball in the sky.
The European Space Agency (ESA) reported via a post on X (formerly Twitter) that a compact asteroid measuring approximately 27.5 inches (70 centimeters) was detected on a trajectory towards Earth on Tuesday, December 3. This cosmic rock was believed to have generated a vibrant fireball above Siberia, although officials assured that its impact would be harmless.
In an update from the agency, it confirmed that this celestial object had been identified around 12 hours prior and made its entrance into Earth’s atmosphere around 11:15 AM ET (5:15 PM CET), where it was observed by residents in the Yakutia region.
Experts highlighted that thanks to diligent observations from astronomers worldwide, they could forecast the asteroid’s arrival with remarkable accuracy—within just ten seconds of impact.
Advanced Detection Methods
NASA’s Asteroid Watch published an alert on X mentioning that this asteroid had first been spotted by the Bok telescope at the University of Arizona. Impact predictions were flawlessly executed using NASA’s Scout system at their Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
The agency clarified that while this individual space rock would ignite as it entered Earth’s atmosphere, it posed no danger to our planet’s inhabitants.
Incredible footage shared across social media platforms showed residents capturing videos of the dazzling fireball illuminating the night sky in brilliant red hues before fading into darkness.
Monitoring Larger Cosmic Objects
On Wednesday, December 4, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) also tracked another noteworthy asteroid named 2020 XR as it passed approximately 1.37 million miles away from Earth. This particular rock dwarfed its Siberian counterpart by being comparable in size to a football stadium, as reported by USA Today.
NASA’s JPL is dedicated to monitoring “asteroids and comets” within about “120 million miles” from the sun—that range is categorized as part of “Earth’s orbital neighborhood.” According to their official website, these asteroids can vary significantly in size—from around “10 feet up to nearly 25 miles.”
While most of these cosmic entities are not deemed hazardous and pose no threat due to their considerable distance from our planet—a small percentage labeled “hazardous asteroids” receive extra scrutiny. NASA emphasizes thorough assessments regarding any potential risk these objects may present during their close encounters with Earth.
