Additional Coverage:
- Asteroid nearly hits Earth in Siberia, with a 2nd massive asteroid passing this week (newsbreak.com)
Asteroid Impacts Earth’s Atmosphere
A small asteroid, dubbed C0WEPC5, slammed into Earth’s atmosphere over Siberia on Tuesday. The impact produced a fiery fireball that lit up the night sky, as captured in videos circulating on social media.
C0WEPC5 is the fourth detected asteroid impact on Earth this year, and the 11th overall. These “imminent impactors” are now more frequently detected due to advancements in astronomy.
Fly-by asteroids are common, with over 36,000 recorded since 2023. Another asteroid, 2020 XR, will pass by Earth on Wednesday, though at a much greater distance.
While large asteroids pose no immediate threat, NASA designates objects within 4.6 million miles of Earth as “potentially hazardous.” Despite being much larger than C0WEPC5, 2020 XR is expected to pass Earth safely at a distance of 1.37 million miles.