{"id":788367,"date":"2024-09-04T15:51:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=788367"},"modified":"2024-09-04T15:51:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:51:52","slug":"a-surprise-asteroid-lit-up-the-sky-over-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=788367","title":{"rendered":"A Surprise Asteroid Lit Up the Sky Over the Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"


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With all of humanity\u2019s telescopic eyes on the sky, it\u2019s rare for an asteroid to take us by surprise. But that\u2019s what happened this morning in the sky over the Philippines. Only hours after it was detected, it burned up in a bright flash above the island of Luzon. <\/p>\n

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NASA\u2019s Catalina Sky Survey detected the small asteroid, now named 2024 RW1, only hours before it reached Earth\u2019s atmosphere. It was only about one meter in diameter and posed no threat. Even though reports say it \u201cstruck the Earth,\u201d in reality, it only struck the atmosphere, where objects that small burn up. <\/p>\n

A video captured from the northern tip of the Philippines shows a flashing fireball partly obscured by clouds. The asteroid briefly created a tail, which disappeared quickly.<\/p>\n

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??????? ?? ?????, ???????? ???? ???! ?? <\/p>\n

Here’s a clear shot of the much-awaited small asteroid 2024 RW1 (#CAQTDL2<\/a>) burning bright into a greenish ‘fireball’ over Lal-lo, Cagayan around 12:39 AM PhST, 05 September 2024. Did you see it too? ? <\/p>\n

?\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/B3oAm6nNdD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ScienceKonek (@sciencekonek) September 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

This is only the ninth time that we\u2019ve detected an asteroid before it reached Earth, though the European Space Agency says that a one-meter asteroid hits the Earth every two weeks. <\/p>\n

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Being taken by surprise by an asteroid is an unusual feeling. But though it was a surprise, it was detected before it reached us. We can take comfort that our automated sky surveys detected such a small object. If it was large enough to cause any amount of damage, it would\u2019ve been brighter and we\u2019d have detected it much sooner. <\/p>\n

Though this one was no danger, that\u2019s not always the case. In 2013, the 18-ton near-Earth asteroid called the Chelyabinsk meteor exploded over the Russian city. It created extensive ground damage and caused almost 1500 people to seek medical assistance, though nobody was killed. <\/p>\n

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A meteorite flashes across the sky over Chelyabinsk, Russia, taken from a dashboard camera.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earth has suffered much more catastrophic impacts than that throughout its history, and that spectre haunts our civilization. The Chicxululb impact caused a mass extinction and ended the dinosaurs. The Vredefort Crater in South Africa was excavated two billion years ago by an impactor between 10 to 15 km in diameter. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just an asteroid\u2019s size that\u2019s the problem. They strike Earth with great velocity. The ESA says that 2024 RW1 was travelling at 17.6 kilometres per second, or 63,360 kilometres per hour, which is the average speed for these objects. <\/p>\n

Both NASA and the ESA actively search for and catalogue the asteroid population. NASA also invites experts to take part in regular mock exercises. In these exercises, teams of people are fed regular fabricated updates on the approach of a dangerous asteroid and asked to take whatever actions they see fit. <\/p>\n

2024 RW1 was no threat. In fact, it\u2019s a beautiful, natural spectacle. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also a reminder that Earth isn\u2019t isolated from the cosmos, though in day-to-day life, it can seem like it is. <\/p>\n

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