In a spectacular cosmic event, a small asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere Tuesday night, causing a bright fireball over northeastern Russia. Residents of the distant Sakha Republic in Siberia could view the space rock disintegrate mid-air, gathering outdoors to take in the spectacle. The event was a surprise gift to the locals, since the asteroid was discovered only 12 hours before its fiery entry, as confirmed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
A 70 cm-long asteroid called COWEPC5 entered the Earth’s atmosphere at 1:15 AM local time (16:15 GMT) in a bright fireball that lit up Yakutia, Russia. The international efforts of astronomers made possible the exact determination of when the asteroid entered down to a second. According to ESA, it was only on the other half day that it detected that the object entered, and so the global alert system kept tracking its movement.
Video of the 70cm asteroid that entered earths atmosphere over northern Siberia today ☄️ pic.twitter.com/YABlrPRtaO
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) December 3, 2024
The asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere and broke into smaller pieces, which likely scattered across a remote forest area in Yakutia. In anticipation of the event, the Sakha emergencies ministry had issued warnings to local officials to be on the lookout. The event did not cause any harm or injuries, and authorities confirmed that the fireball was harmless.
☄️ Asteroid #C0WEPC5 (temporary designation) entered Earth’s atmosphere at 16:15 UTC/17:15 CET, creating a fireball over Yakutia witnessed by people in the region.
The object was discovered roughly 12 hours ago and is thought to have been around 70 cm across.
Thanks to… https://t.co/ohya9xsEak
— European Space Agency (@esa) December 3, 2024
NASA credited the discovery of COWEPC5 to the Bok telescope from the University of Arizona that provided essential data for size and trajectory of the asteroid. According to NASA’s statement, “At 11:14 AM EST, a very small asteroid will impact the Earth’s atmosphere and create a harmless fireball over Russia’s Olyokminsky district.
The fireball videos also began to make rounds soon. Many localities captured a jaw-dropping light display in their cameras. As social media buzzed with an air of wonder over how closely the space body was being tracked and reported, some of the users posted remarks like “Wait – that’s not the mother ship?!! I thought there was supposed to be an alien invasion today lol.”
Others were simply amazed by the event’s timing, with one user commenting, “Amazing they could pick up, track, and predict something so small really.” The fireball display reminded people of previous similar events caused by asteroids like 2022 WJ, 2023 CX1, and 2024 BX1, which also lit up the sky upon entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Video of the 70cm asteroid that entered earths atmosphere over northern Siberia today ☄️ pic.twitter.com/kXdEULUe5X
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) December 3, 2024
This incident highlights the development of tracking and monitoring systems of asteroids that allow space agencies to predict these cosmic events with accuracy. The detection and tracking of COWEPC5 is a good example of how astronomers all over the world are increasingly capable of monitoring space objects and preventing possible risks.
With more and more asteroids tracked entering Earth’s atmosphere, predicting the phenomena continues to improve, giving astronomers a clearer picture of what orbits the Earth and what may have the potential to impact it.
