Astronomers in Arizona discovered asteroid 2024 RW1 just hours before its dramatic entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The asteroid, roughly 1 meter (3 feet) in size, was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded project at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, which scans the skies for near-Earth objects that could potentially pose a threat. The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed that 2024 RW1 was only the ninth asteroid ever spotted before it made contact with Earth.
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At around 16:46 GMT on Wednesday, the asteroid broke apart above the western Pacific Ocean near Luzon Island in the Philippines. The event produced a dazzling display of light, drawing the attention of local residents and space enthusiasts alike.
Rare and Dazzling Spectacle
NASA had forecasted that 2024 RW1 would disintegrate harmlessly in the atmosphere, creating a spectacular fireball that could be visible from the east coast of the Philippines. The space rock gave off a bright green light—likely due to its high magnesium content—before exploding with a flash that was visible from up to 250 miles (400 kilometers) away, according to the American Meteor Society.
As the asteroid approached Earth, multiple sensors detected its presence, allowing some local observers to capture stunning photos and videos of the fireball. The European Space Agency noted that, while small asteroids like 2024 RW1 frequently enter Earth’s atmosphere—about once every two weeks—it is rare for astronomers to detect them in advance due to their size.
Why Was the Asteroid Noticed?
Small asteroids such as 2024 RW1 often go unnoticed before impact due to their relatively small size, which makes them difficult to detect with telescopes. This particular asteroid’s discovery was fortuitous, given that it was spotted only hours before it entered Earth’s atmosphere. The ESA emphasized that while small objects frequently enter the atmosphere, most disintegrate harmlessly, posing no real threat to the planet.
Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, an expert in asteroid science at Queen’s University Belfast, noted that the speed of 2024 RW1—estimated at around 17.6 kilometers per second (10.9 miles per second) or 63,360 kilometers per hour (39,370 miles per hour)—is typical for such objects. “Don’t be fooled by Hollywood movies where you see the thing screaming through the sky,” Fitzsimmons said. “In reality, these events happen so quickly that there is no time to react.”
Learning from the Encounter
While asteroids of this size do not pose a danger to Earth, larger asteroids can cause significant destruction if they were to collide with our planet. Fortunately, over 90 percent of these larger asteroids have been identified, and none currently pose a risk of impact, according to the ESA.
This latest incident has provided valuable data to astronomers, who hope to retrace 2024 RW1’s approach to Earth to learn more about its origins. Even though it is unlikely that any fragments of 2024 RW1 survived the explosion due to its ocean landing, the event has contributed to ongoing efforts to track and understand near-Earth objects better.
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This sighting marks the ninth time a small asteroid was detected before entering Earth’s atmosphere. Similar events have been observed in recent years, such as the discovery of asteroid 2024 BX1 in January, which exploded over Berlin, and the 2022 detection of asteroid 2022 EB5, which disintegrated over the Arctic.