An asteroid flew past northern Siberia at midnight on Tuesday before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, lighting up the sky in a blinding glow, dramatic video shows.
The relatively small asteroid measured only 27 inches wide – about the same diameter as a bicycle tire – and posed no threat to Earth, but still “nice fireball in the skyThe European Space Agency flew over the Siberian tundra at about 4:15 a.m. local time written on x,
The asteroid, temporarily given the roll-of-the-tongue name C0WEPC5, was a rare example of what is known as an “imminent impactor,” discovered at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz. Hours before its theatrical appearance, space.com Informed.
C0WEPC5 is the 11th adjacent effector discovered so far and the record-setting fourth this year alone.
Space agencies around the world constantly monitor the skies for asteroids and other celestial bodies on a potential collision course with Earth.
On June 30, 1908, a very large asteroid more than 130 feet in diameter exploded over Siberia in what has since been named the Tunguska Event.
The impact site was not examined by scientists until 20 years later, when they discovered that the asteroid had carved a massive destruction zone of about 830 square miles. NASA,
In 2016, the United Nations consecrated the celestial phenomenon with its own date, designating June 30 as International Asteroid Day to raise awareness of asteroids and the efforts of space agencies to find them.
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