On Wednesday (Dec. 4), a small asteroid created a spectacular fireball as it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere over northern Siberia. Astronomers observed the 28-inch (70 centimeters) space rock just hours before it entered the atmosphere.
The European Space Agency (ESA) acknowledged that thanks to observations from astronomers worldwide, the impact was predicted within +/- 10 seconds. The asteroid, temporarily named C0WEPC5, entered Earth’s atmosphere at 1:15 a.m. local time over Russia’s Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia. Despite local officials being placed on alert, no damage was reported.
Footage of the event was shared by the Sakha Republic Ministry Of Internal Affairs on Telegram. The video was from colleagues at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Olekminsky District and city residents.
NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) detected the space rock 12 hours before it entered the atmosphere, making it the fourth imminent impactor in 2024 and the 11th overall.
The first asteroid detected and tracked using this method was a 13-foot-wide (4-meter-wide) rock in 2008. Since then, our ability to find these impactors has greatly improved.
While asteroids like C0WEPC5 are not a threat to Earth, having detection systems in place allows astronomers to identify and deflect larger, more dangerous objects on a collision course with Earth. Both NASA and ESA have programs dedicated to spotting and tracking near-Earth objects, and currently, no known asteroid poses a threat for the next 100 years.
