A small asteroid named C0WEPC5 lit up the skies over northern Siberia on Tuesday (3) as it entered Earth’s atmosphere, creating a brilliant fireball. Detected by the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, the 27-inch celestial rock was on a collision course with Earth but posed no danger, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). This marks the fourth asteroid strike detected this year and only the 11th in recorded history.
The ESA issued an alert at 4:27 a.m. ET, predicting the asteroid’s harmless impact. True to forecasts, the asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere at 11:15 a.m. ET over Yakutia in northeastern Siberia. Residents in the region witnessed the stunning fireball streaking across the sky, an event captured in videos shared widely on social media. The ESA noted that it remains uncertain if any debris from the asteroid landed on Earth.
❗️☄️🇷🇺 – Residents of Yakutia have captured stunning visuals of an asteroid, identified as C0WEPC5, as it streaked across the sky and eventually disintegrated upon entering the atmosphere over the Republic.
While the event is visually striking, there’s no need for alarm. The… pic.twitter.com/ippCgUBR3T
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) December 3, 2024
Asteroids on collision courses with Earth, referred to as “imminent impactors,” are rare, but advancements in detection technology have significantly improved astronomers’ ability to track such objects. Fly-by asteroids, however, are much more common. Since October 2023, NASA has recorded 132 asteroids passing closer to Earth than the moon.
Adding to this week’s cosmic events, a much larger asteroid, 2020 XR, is set to make a close pass to Earth early Wednesday. Estimated to be 1,200 feet in diameter — approximately the height of New York’s Empire State Building — it will remain at a safe distance of 1.37 million miles. Despite its size, officials classify it as “potentially hazardous,” a designation for objects that come within 4.6 million miles of Earth.
Such occurrences underline the importance of ongoing monitoring and research into near-Earth objects. NASA’s efforts, including missions like DART, continue to advance our understanding of asteroid behavior and preparedness for potential threats.
