On Tuesday morning, a small asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere over northeastern Siberia, narrowly missing our planet. This close encounter is the first of two significant asteroid flybys expected this week.
Small Asteroid Creates Spectacle in Siberia Before Impact with Earth
☄️ Asteroid #C0WEPC5 (temporary designation) entered Earth’s atmosphere at 16:15 UTC/17:15 CET, creating a fireball over Yakutia witnessed by people in the region.
The object was discovered roughly 12 hours ago and is thought to have been around 70 cm across.
Thanks to… https://t.co/ohya9xsEak
— European Space Agency (@esa) December 3, 2024
A small asteroid was visible over northern Siberia on Tuesday as it neared its collision course with Earth. This marks the first of two asteroid flybys expected this week.
The European Space Agency (ESA) issued an alert at 4:27 a.m. ET, confirming that the 27-inch asteroid temporarily designated C0WEPC5, would produce a visible fireball as it entered Earth’s atmosphere. However, the ESA assured the public that the impact would be harmless.
This event is significant as it marks Earth’s fourth detected asteroid strike of 2024 and just the 11th on record. According to the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, which identified the asteroid ahead of its arrival, such strikes are known as “imminent impactors.” These fast-moving space rocks are carefully monitored due to their potential to enter Earth’s atmosphere.
While the asteroid’s impact is not expected to cause harm, the event serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for asteroid tracking and monitoring.
Asteroids Are Making Close Passes: What You Need to Know
Since October 2023, NASA has been monitoring an increasing number of asteroids passing near Earth. 132 known asteroids have come closer to Earth than the Moon during this period. NASA has also tracked over 36,000 asteroid flybys in total, highlighting just how frequently these space rocks zip past our planet.
This week adds yet another asteroid to the mix. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports that asteroid 2020 XR will make a close flyby of Earth at 12:27 a.m. ET on Wednesday. While this asteroid is significantly larger than the one that passed by Earth on Tuesday, its trajectory poses no threat.
2020 XR is an impressive 1,200 feet in diameter, roughly the same height as the iconic Empire State Building in New York City. However, this massive rock will pass Earth at a safe distance of about 1.37 million miles—more than five times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
While NASA confirms that the 2020 XR poses no danger, the agency classifies any object within 4.6 million miles of Earth as “potentially hazardous.” This designation serves as a reminder that, while the asteroid is not a threat, space agencies keep a close eye on these objects for any future risks.
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