Asteroid hitting Earth

Welcome to Asteroid Watch 2023: The Fireball Edition!

A tiny asteroid just lit up the Siberian sky! Can you believe it? They detected it just hours before it hit!

In an electrifying spectacle that had stargazers in Siberia gasping and techies in mission control high-fiving, a tiny asteroid designated COWECP5 made a fiery entrance into Earth’s atmosphere. Measuring approximately 27 inches (70 centimeters) in diameter, this cosmic visitor streaked across the Eastern Siberian sky at around 11:14 a.m. ET on Tuesday, leaving behind a dazzling fireball and solidifying its status as the fourth asteroid to hit Earth in 2023. Thanks to cutting-edge technology and vigilant astronomers, the asteroid was detected mere hours before it illuminated the skies, proving that sometimes, even the smallest visitors can steal the show!

The drama unfolded with the help of the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey and the University of Arizona's Bok telescope, which played crucial roles in tracking COWECP5’s path. As it entered the atmosphere over Yakutia, this miniature celestial body traveled at a breathtaking speed of about 9.6 miles per second before meeting its fiery demise. Although the fireball was visible to many fortunate observers, rest assured, there was nothing to fear; this was no world-ending asteroid—it was just a brief cosmic fireworks display!

If you’re wondering how it compares to past astronomical encounters, COWECP5 marked only the 11th time in history that scientists have managed to predict an asteroid impact before it occurred. Imagine the tension buzzing in mission control as experts scrambled to ensure that all eyes were on the skies, eagerly anticipating the moment the asteroid would cross into Earth’s atmosphere. This remarkable achievement highlights the advancements in astronomy and celestial monitoring, where technology is keeping pace with our curiosity about the cosmos.

Now, if you’re feeling like an astronomer, you might want to know that there have been larger asteroids that have found their way into Earth’s atmosphere—some packing a whopping punch! However, COWECP5 was harmless, akin to a flying tire that puts on a show before disappearing completely. Fun fact: Asteroids, unlike meteors, are the rocky remnants from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago! Physics might not be everyone’s favorite subject, but now you have a cosmic conversation starter when the topic of asteroids comes up!