Asteroid Enters Earth’s Atmosphere and Burns Up Over Eastern Germany
In the early hours of Sunday morning, a small asteroid made its way through Earth’s atmosphere and burned up as it passed over eastern Germany. Videos capturing the glowing object’s descent were widely shared on social media throughout the day, providing a mesmerizing spectacle for viewers across Europe. The discovery of the asteroid was credited to Hungarian researcher Krisztián Sárneczky, who is well-known for his expertise in identifying minor planets and other space objects that pose a potential threat to our planet.
The asteroid, measuring approximately 1 meter in length, was observed by Denis Vida, a Ph.D. associate in meteor physics at Western University in Canada. Vida is also the founder of the Global Meteor Project, which aims to enhance meteor observation through a global network of cameras pointed towards space. He shared one of the clearest video clips of the falling asteroid, originally captured by a livestream camera set up in Leipzig, Germany. In his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Vida speculated that the asteroid may have dropped some meteorites on the ground as it disintegrated while passing through the atmosphere. He later clarified that the disintegration occurred about 50 kilometers west of Berlin.
Initially named Sar2736, the asteroid was officially designated as 2024 BX1 by the International Astronomical Union’s minor planet center. The center, funded by a grant from NASA’s near-earth object observation program, collects data on comets and various celestial bodies from observatories worldwide. The data log on 2024 BX1 reveals contributions from observatories in several European countries, including Spain, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, and Germany.
The impending arrival of the asteroid was first announced by NASA Asteroid Watch through a social media post on Saturday evening. The post warned that the asteroid would disintegrate as a harmless fireball west of Berlin near Nennhausen at 1:32 am CET. NASA’s prediction proved accurate, and the asteroid indeed made its fiery descent after midnight in central Europe. The term “fireball” is used in astronomy to describe exceptionally bright meteors that can be seen over a wide area.
While the event was awe-inspiring for those who witnessed it, there was no cause for concern as the asteroid posed no threat to Earth. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts by scientists and researchers to monitor and track near-earth objects, ensuring the safety of our planet.
