A small asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere and lit up the skies over eastern Germany on Sunday morning. Video of the incident went viral on social media, showing a glowing object descending over Europe. Experts later confirmed that the light came from a collapsing meteorite.
The 2024 BX1 asteroid, temporarily designated Sar2736, touched down near the Berlin suburb of Nenhausen around 1:30 a.m. local time, according to astronomers and observers. According to the International Astronomical Union, Hungarian astronomer Krystian Sarnetski was the first to spot the approaching asteroid several hours before the impact.
NASA also confirmed the incident at least 20 minutes before the impact. “Attention: A small asteroid is scheduled to disintegrate in a harmless fireball near Nenhausen, west of Berlin, shortly after 1:32 a.m. Central European Time. If the weather is clear, even the Overseer will see it!” the space agency said. is writing.
This incident was the eighth time an asteroid was discovered before it hit Earth, and the third time Christian Sarnetsky discovered an asteroid. Sarnetsky is a famous “asteroid hunter” who has discovered asteroids and other space objects heading towards our planet, including two asteroids that fell into France in 2023 and the Arctic Ocean in 2022, respectively.
How big was the asteroid?
Dennis Vida, a doctoral student in meteor physics at Canada’s Western University, said the asteroid was about 1 meter long from edge to edge. Vida is also the brain behind the Global Meteor Project, whose mission is to enhance meteor observation around the world through a collaborative network of space-pointed cameras.
Dennis Vida shared an impressive video clip of a descending asteroid, originally recorded by a livestream camera installed in the German city of Leipzig. This video was posted on X. In his accompanying remarks, Vida speculated that the asteroid may have released a meteorite when it reached Earth’s atmosphere and broke up. In a further explanation provided to CBS News via email, Vida noted that the asteroid began disintegrating about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) west of Berlin.
Asteroids named after their centers
The asteroid, originally named Sar2736, underwent a formal naming process by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.
As reported by EarthSky, the name given to it is now 2024 BX1. In particular, the Asteroid Center, supported by a grant from NASA’s Near-Earth Observation Program, will play a key role in gathering comprehensive data on comets and “irregular natural satellites outside major planets.” Fulfilling.
(Information provided by agency)