A small asteroid measuring 28 inches in diameter streaked over northern Siberia on Wednesday morning before entering Earth’s atmosphere, providing scientists with a rare opportunity to study its passage.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), astronomers detected the space rock, named C0WEPC5, just hours before it entered the atmosphere at 1:15 a.m. local time in the Sakha Republic, Russia. The asteroid was spotted by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) 12 hours earlier.
The sighting was part of a successful test of the ESA’s alert system, which relies on observations from astronomers around the world to predict asteroid impacts. This marked the fourth “imminent impactor” detected in 2024 and the 11th overall.
Despite its size, the asteroid posed no threat to the planet and burned up completely in the atmosphere. Local officials were placed on alert but reported no damage during the event.
The successful detection of C0WEPC5 highlights the effectiveness of space agencies’ early warning systems, which allow scientists to track and potentially deflect larger and more hazardous asteroids.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-universe/asteroids/spectacular-asteroid-blazes-over-siberia-just-hours-after-it-was-detected