NASA probes small asteroid hitting Earth in Siberia

A huge splash caused by a small asteroid that seemingly hit the Earth on Tuesday morning, left the sky ablaze in the northeast airspace of Siberia.

The event, which attracted close attention of space agencies, sums up strengthening of NASA experience in identifying space objects and protection of the Earth.

The phenomenon occurred around 11:15 a.m. ET, as the asteroid that has been temporarily designated C0WEPC5, entered the Earth’s atmosphere above Yakutia and created a stunning fireball.

The asteroid, which according to the European Space Agency (ESA) was classified as harmless, that struck the Earth was one that measured about 27 inches across. It brought light show for Siberian faraway areas as it descended.

This is only the fourth detected impact in this year and total of 11 times since they began monitoring such small impacts. Other observatories such as that of the University of Arizona’s Bok telescope detected the asteroid’s direction first.

When the rock burned up upon entering the spheres of the earth, there exist footages that finally capture this bright streak across the sky. Whether any debris hit the Earth’s surface is still unknown, however, the ESA said that space quakes of such magnitude are not a threat to life and buildings.

In addition to Tuesday’s event, NASA is tracking 2020 XR, a much larger asteroid that is also approaching the planet, tentatively on Wednesday. Over 1,200 feet in diameter this one is not considered posing an immediate danger, but it’s a good reminder that the asteroid search continues.

This asteroid event shows that the ability of humans to notice and prevent such occurrences has been improved over time.

Signs of an asteroid hitting Earth (NASA): Even though the phrase sounds scary, it is a good example of existing systems that protect our planet from outer space threats as well as give viewers space spectacles.