Small asteroid to impact Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines on September 4, creating bright fireball

A small asteroid detected by the Mt. Lemmon Survey in Arizona, U.S. at 05:43 UTC today, September 4, 2024, is expected to harmlessly impact Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines at around 16:39 UTC. The object is called CAQTDL2.

• A newly discovered asteroid designated CAQTDL2 is expected to impact Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines at 16:39 UTC on September 4, 2024.
• This will be the only 9^th time in history that an asteroid is discovered before impacting Earth.

The asteroid has a diameter of just around 1 m (3.3 feet) so most if not all of it will burn in the atmosphere before reaching Earth’s surface, creating a very bright fireball.

If current calculations are correct, the asteroid will impact the atmosphere at around 16:39 UTC near Luzon, Northern Philippines. In the Philippines, the entry time will be 00:39 LT on September 5.

Very small pieces of this object may survive the entry providing a rare opportunity for meteorite hunting.

Unfortunately, bad weather will severely limit observations.

Heavy rains are especially expected in areas like Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, La Union, and Benguet. According to the weather forecast, the Southwest Monsoon is bringing heavy to intense rains over these areas, with rainfall amounts ranging from 100 – 200 mm (4 to 8 inches). Moderate to heavy rains (50 – 100 mm / 2 – 4 inches) are also expected over surrounding regions, including parts of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. These conditions may result in flooding and landslides, particularly in susceptible areas.

Given this forecast, those interested in meteorite hunting in Luzon following the asteroid event should prepare for potential heavy rain and challenging conditions, especially in the northern regions.

This will be the only 9^th time in history that an asteroid is discovered before impacting Earth.

The other 8 asteroids detected before impact are:

2008 TC3 – impacted over the Nubian desert, Sudan on October 7, 2008. Discovered on October 6, 2008. Diameter: approximately 4 m (13 feet); Mass approximately 80 tons.

2014 AA – impacted over the Atlantic Ocean, 3 000 km (1 864 miles) from Caracas, Venezuela on January 2, 2014. Discovered on January 1, 2014.  Diameter: approximately 3 m (9.8 feet); Mass approximately 40 tons.

2018 LA – impacted over the Botswana-South Africa border on June 2, 2018. Discovered on June 2, 2018. Diameter: approximately 3 m (9.8 feet); Mass approximately 40 tons.

2019 MO – impacted off the south coast of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean Sea on June 22, 2019. Discovered on June 22, 2019. Diameter: approximately 5 m (9.8 feet); Mass approximately 200 tons.

2022 EB5 – impacted southwest of Jan Mayen island in the Arctic Ocean at around 21:22 UTC on March 11, 2022. Discovered roughly two hours before impact. Diameter: approximately 3 m (9.8 feet).

2022 WJ1 – impacted over Niagara Falls at 08:27 UTC on November 19, 2022. Discovered at 04:53 UTC on November 19, 2022. Diameter between 0.5 and 1.2 m (1.6 – 3.9 feet).

2023 CX1 – impacted over the English Channel, between England and France at 02:59 UTC on February 13, 2023. Discovered about 3 hours before impact. Diameter between 0.8 to 1.8 m (2.6 to 5.9 feet).

2024 BX1 – impacted near Berlin, Germany at 00:33 UTC on January 21, 2024. Discovered about three hours before impact. Diameter between 0.7 and 1.6 m (2.23 – 5.2 feet).

Featured image credit: Catalina Sky Survey