An asteroid may have burned up in the atmosphere as it approached Earth, lighting up the sky in a remote area of eastern Yakutia, Russia.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the asteroid, approximately 70 cm in size, was detected about 12 hours before it appeared in the sky. The asteroid entered the atmosphere at 1:15 AM on November 4 (local time).
“Thanks to observations from astronomers around the world, our warning system was able to predict this impact with an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds,” ESA stated.
Asteroid lights up the sky in Yakutia, eastern Russia. (Photo: Reuters).
The emergency agency in Yakutia reported that the area was put on alert as the asteroid approached, but no damage was reported after it fell.
“Residents in the Olekminsk and Lensk districts could observe a tail similar to that of a comet and a flash in the night,” the agency noted.
Astronomer Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, stated: “This asteroid is small, but it can be seen from hundreds of kilometers away and is quite spectacular.”
Asteroids are rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, lacking an atmosphere, and are too small to be classified as planets. Near-Earth asteroids are celestial objects that come within 44 million kilometers of Earth’s orbit. NASA estimates that there are over 1,100,000 asteroids in the solar system, including nearly 35,000 near-Earth asteroids. The majority of asteroids range in size from 10 meters to 529 kilometers. With advancements in technology for monitoring and studying asteroids, international space agencies are increasingly enhancing their ability to protect Earth from potential dangers from space. This is crucial for preparing for future emergencies should any object genuinely threaten our planet. According to NASA scientists, Earth will not face any threats from an asteroid collision endangering human survival for at least the next 100 years. |
