Asteroid Strikes Earth’s Atmosphere, Spectacular Fireball Over Philippines Stuns Skywatchers

On September 04, 2024, a small asteroid strikes Earth’s atmosphere, creating an amazing fireball over the Philipines. It enters the Earth’s atmosphere, passes over the northernmost island of the Philippine archipelago, and burns up in the sky without any harm. The asteroid’s name was 2024 RW1.

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Discovery and Impact The Fiery Display Public Reaction Editor’s Recommendations

This unexpected celestial event left many people shocked because it burned up in the sky and made an amazing view. This asteroid was discovered just hours before it entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Jacqueline Fazekas, a research technologist at NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey, first spotted it.

Discovery and Impact

Asteroid 2024 RW1 was too small, so it was detected just eight hours before it entered the atmosphere. The asteroid measured about one meter in diameter and was travelling at a speed of 17.6 Kilometers per second. NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey detects near-earth objects, but this time, they detected an asteroid late. But luckily, the asteroid was small, and it did not harm living beings. This shows that we have to work constantly to detect near-earth asteroids.

The Fiery Display

As the asteroid 2024 RW1 enters the atmosphere, it converts into a green fireball. Due to the high magnesium composition in the asteroid, it has a stunning green colour view. This amazing event occurred at night, around 12:46 a.m. local time on September 5, 2024.

Residents were able to capture photos and videos of the fireball. These images quickly spread across social media, with many people sharing their excitement and amazement. The American Meteor Society received numerous reports and visual evidence of the event.

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗛, 𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗜𝗗 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗥𝗪𝟭! ☄️

Here's a clear shot of the much-awaited small asteroid 2024 RW1 (#CAQTDL2) burning bright into a greenish 'fireball' over Lal-lo, Cagayan around 12:39 AM PhST, 05 September 2024. Did you see it too? 😊

📸… pic.twitter.com/B3oAm6nNdD
— ScienceKonek (@sciencekonek) September 4, 2024

Such small asteroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere every week and burn up. Because of their small size, we cannot detect asteroids and such asteroids are very important scientifically. Such small asteroids can tell us about the Earth or how the Solar System formed.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA actively search for and catalog asteroids. They conduct regular exercises to prepare for potential asteroid impacts. These exercises involve simulating the approach of a dangerous asteroid and determining the best course of action.

Small asteroids do not harm Earth, but we have a history of asteroid impacts. Large asteroids can have devastating effects. The Chicxulub impact, which caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, is a prime example. A recent example is in Russia’s 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor exploded over Russia, causing large damage and 1500 people injured.

In South Africa, a 10-15 km diameter asteroid created the Vredefort crater, which is another reminder of the potential dangers of asteroid impact. These events remind us of the importance of monitoring and studying near-Earth objects.

Public Reaction

A lot of people in the Philippines saw the asteroid and loved the visuals, and they’ve spoken and shown it on social media. Many people have wondered how asteroids look like this and how cool they look. Many people had taken videos from their mobiles and immediately shared them on social media from their accounts and got a lot of response. Some people also say that these are aliens entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Local channels interviewed those who witnessed the incident and showed on their news channels. According to scientists, even if there is no danger to us from such asteroids, we should continue to track near-Earth objects.