Small asteroid hit Earth’s atmosphere yesterday

???????(?????)???. Asteroid impact! 2024-12-03 16:14:53 UTC (12/4 01:14:53 JST). ??????(60.93 N, 120.41 E??)??????. ?????1m????. #?????? #??? #C0WEPC5 pic.twitter.com/T7ireN7mF9

— ???? ???? Dr. Avell (@AvellSky) December 3, 2024

This weather webcam out of Russia shows the small asteroid as it hit Earth’s atmosphere over Siberia around 16:14 UTC on December 3 (10:14 a.m. CST December 3 and 1:14 a.m. local time December 4).

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Small asteroid hit Earth’s atmosphere yesterday

Yesterday morning (05:55 UTC on December 3, 2024) astronomers discovered a small asteroid, somewhere in size between 0.5 to 1.2 meters (1.6 to 4 feet) … and it has already struck Earth. The asteroid, first named C0WEPC5 and now officially designated 2024 XA1, harmlessly entered Earth’s atmosphere around 16:14 UTC (10:14 a.m. CST December 3 or 1:14 a.m. local time on December 4) over Eastern Siberia. This tiny asteroid created a nice fireball in dark skies. It’s possible small fragments reached the ground.

You may recall the impressive Tunguska event – when a large asteroid created an airburst that flattened hundreds of square meters of trees in 1908 – also happened in Eastern Siberia. Today’s event was much, much smaller. It would have hit at about the same latitude and around 18 degrees further east, or about a thousand kilometers away from the famous event.

According to NASA’s Asteroid Watch, astronomers first made the discovery:

… with the University of Arizona’s Bok telescope by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey and Spacewatch. The impact prediction was made by the Scout system at NASA JPL’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

The incoming asteroid had a velocity of about 15.5 kilometers per second (9.6 miles per second) with a moderate angle of 58 degrees. And it came in from the southeast. According to Sam Deen’s predictions on the Minor Planet Mailing List, it might have been possible for people in Yakutsk, Mirny, Norilsk or Dudinka to see it.

In a few hours from now, newly-discovered asteroid C0WEPC5 will slam into Russia. It is very small and should cause no damage. pic.twitter.com/csHHymymS4

— Tony Dunn (@tony873004) December 3, 2024

Sightings of the asteroid shared on social media

The small asteroid made a pretty bright splash in the night sky over Siberia. Here’s a video from Bluesky:

??? Asteroid in Yakutia, Russia

[image or embed]

— MAKS 24 ??? (@maks23.bsky.social) December 3, 2024 at 10:41 AM

And check out the following images posted on X:

C0WEPC5 arrived!https://t.co/VF5I6qbnMD pic.twitter.com/9ORMMxvoTJ

— ?????? ?????? (@LeonidElenin) December 3, 2024

The first videos of the #asteroid #C0WEPC5 entry in #Russia are coming out on @telegram . It appears to be very similar to previous asteroid entires (2022 WJ, 2023 CX1, 2024 BX1). Lots of fragments at the end, it probably dropped some rocks in a remote forested area. pic.twitter.com/LnVyTMA7oO

— Denis Vida (@meteordoc) December 3, 2024

Images of the small asteroid before it hit

Mohammad Shawkat Odeh, director of the International Astronomical Center in the UAE, caught images of the asteroid just before it hit Earth’s atmosphere. Mohammad gave EarthSky permission to share the following image and video. Thank you, Mohammad!

Here's a video of the small asteroid C0WEPC5 just minutes before hitting Earth above Siberia today. Video via Mohammad Shawkat Odeh from the UAE: "I started around 14:20 till 15:21 UT, that is 53 minutes before the impact." Used with permission. pic.twitter.com/qqsp07q4rn

— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) December 3, 2024

4th asteroid to hit Earth’s atmosphere in 2024

This is only the 11th time ever and the 4th time this year that astronomers have spotted an asteroid just before it crashed into Earth’s atmosphere. Earlier this year a 3 feet (1 meter) asteroid hit over the Pacific Ocean on October 22, and another one of similar size struck the atmosphere above the Philippines on September 4. And the first one this year hit above Germany on January 21.

With our increasing technology, we are able to spot more of these little asteroids before they hit us. According to NASA:

Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles. About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth’s atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface.

Bottom line: A small asteroid harmlessly hit Earth’s atmosphere over Siberia in Russia yesterday. More info with a map and images of the fireball here.

Via IMO

Via NASA Asteroid Watch