Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
In the early hours of Sunday, January 21, a small asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere near Berlin, creating a luminous fireball visible for miles around. It was the eighth instance where scientists identified and tracked such a space rock, a mere three hours before impact.
According to a report by Space.com, the cosmic intruder, named 2024 BXI, was initially spotted by astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky from the Piszkéstető Mountain Station in Hungary, using the 60-cm Schmidt telescope.
Following the discovery, NASA provided a precise prediction of the meteor's impact location and time, alerting observers of the harmless fireball spectacle near Berlin.
A live camera in Leipzig, Germany, captured the bright meteor's appearance and disappearance in a matter of seconds. The estimated 3.3 feet (1 meter) wide asteroid likely disintegrated 30 miles west of Berlin, potentially dropping meteorites along its path.
Notably, Sárneczky, a prolific asteroid hunter, has a track record of unusual sightings. He previously detected asteroid 2022 EB5 two hours before it entered Earth's atmosphere.
The rarity of early detection stems from the difficulty of spotting smaller asteroids. The European Space Agency notes that 99% of near-Earth asteroids smaller than 98 feet (30 meters) remain undiscovered due to their proximity and size.
Past incidents, such as the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013, emphasize the potential risks of surprise space rocks. The meteor caused damage and injuries in Russia, highlighting the importance of advanced detection.
Government space agencies are actively working on advanced technologies to scan the skies for potential asteroid impacts. NASA's NEO Surveyor satellite and ESA's NEOMIR are among the initiatives addressing this concern.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, set to launch in 2025, holds promise in revolutionizing asteroid discovery. With enhanced capabilities, it aims to catalogue the solar system and significantly contribute to asteroid-hunting efforts.
As scientists explore innovative approaches to detect and track celestial bodies, incidents like the Berlin fireball underscore the ongoing efforts to safeguard against potential space threats.