Tiny Asteroid to Create Bright Fireball Over Siberia
A small asteroid, approximately the size of a basketball hoop, is set to illuminate the skies over Siberia today, December 3rd.
Discovered this morning by astronomers at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, the celestial visitor, designated C0WEPC5, poses no threat to Earth. Experts predict it will disintegrate upon entering our atmosphere, producing a spectacular fireball visible across the region.
“☄️🎇Incoming! The 12th ever imminent impactor discovered before atmospheric entry is on it’s way to cause a harmless meteor in about 7 hours from now (~16:15 UTC +/- 5 minutes) over Siberia. With an estimated size of ~70 cm diameter it will cause a nice bright fireball #C0WECP5” [Tweet embeds here -ensure proper attribution]
This marks the fourth “imminent impactor” discovered in 2024, meaning asteroids spotted just hours before their fiery demise.
Such close calls highlight the constant vigilance required to monitor near-Earth objects.
"It will cause a nice fireball in the sky over northern Siberia,” the European Space Agency wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
While relatively rare, these events provide valuable insights into the composition and behavior of smaller asteroids.
The Kitt Peak Observatory, along with other observatories and sensor networks across the globe, constantly scan the skies for incoming objects like C0WEPC5. Earlier this year, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) successfully detected two imminent impactors, 2024 UQ above the Pacific Ocean and 2024 BX1, which blazed across Berlin’s skies, harmlessly burning up in the atmosphere.
Organizations like NASA are also actively involved in developing advanced tools, such as the NEO Surveyor telescope, designed to identify and track potentially hazardous near-Earth objects. The ongoing efforts by scientists and space agencies worldwide aim to provide early warnings and protect our planet from potential future impacts.
