Incredible footage captured the moment an asteroid tore through Earth’s atmosphere over Siberia.
The space rock, named COWECP5, appeared in the night sky at 11:14 p.m. local time (11:14 a.m. ET).
Locals posted videos on social media showing the asteroid bursting into a ball of flames before disappearing into the abyss.
The space rock exploded with a stunning red light over Yakutia, soared above the bright city lights and was seen shooting flames as it flew over Olekminsk.
Yakutia’s Emergencies Ministry said all officials had been put on alert as the asteroid approached, but noted that no damage had been reported after its descent.
“Residents of Olekminsk and Lensk districts were able to observe a comet-like tail and flash during the night,” he said.
A NASA-funded telescope in Arizona identified the asteroid about seven hours before impact and revealed that it measured about 27 inches in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered early Tuesday morning by a NASA-funded telescope. Astronomers predicted that the space rock would hit Earth’s atmosphere at 11:14 a.m. ET.
Many inhabitants of Siberia captured amazing images of the asteroid passing through the Earth’s atmosphere.
Its small size meant it would probably burn up in the atmosphere and He posed no threat to the people on the ground.
COWECP5 is only the 12th time scientists have accurately reported an asteroid before it hits and the fourth time it has hit our planet this year.
The last space rock to impact was in October over the Pacific Ocean, followed by others in September and January.
Residents of Olekminsky and Lensk districts “observed a comet-like tail and flares,” and shared some of the first videos of the event.
The Main Directorate of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that it went on high alert after reports about the asteroid were published.
The agency reported that the space rock caused no damage or casualties, writing on Telegram: “Fortunately, the asteroid passed over the atmosphere.
“The safety of the lives of the population was not compromised.”
The NASA-funded Kitt Peak National Observatory, a project that tracks near-Earth objects, also spotted the asteroid Tuesday morning.
Richard Moissl, head of ESA’s planetary defense office, He said Kitt Peak’s Aegis system had calculated the asteroid’s “impact corridor” and narrowed it down to 125 miles east of Lensk.
The Aegis system is used by the US Navy to identify air and surface threats through radar technology and software and is “the most capable multi-mission combat system deployed in the world today,” according to Lockheed Martin.
Locals in Siberia captured the asteroid as it streaked across the night sky at the time predicted by NASA.
The Main Directorate of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that it went on high alert after reports about the asteroid were published.
Before the asteroid entered, Alan Fitzsimmons, from Queen’s University of Belfast, in Ireland, explained to New scientist that the asteroid would not pose a risk to people on the ground.
“It’s small, but it’s still going to be pretty spectacular,” Fitzsimmons said.
“It will be dark above the impact site and for several hundred kilometers around there will be an impressively bright fireball in the sky.”
According to a 2017 study, only asteroids that are at least nearly 60 feet in diameter are potentially lethal if headed toward Earth.
The early sighting of the incoming asteroid was unique in that very few had been detected before they entered Earth’s atmosphere, but Fitzsimmons reported that it is a positive sign that astronomers were able to identify the asteroid so early.
“It’s a win for science and for anyone in Siberia tonight,” Fitzsimmons told New Scientist, adding: “There’s something to take your mind off of the admittedly quite cold temperatures.”
These asteroids are classified as Near-Earth Objects (NEO) because they come within 120 million miles of the Sun thanks to the gravitational pull of other nearby planets.
As more asteroids are observed, the accuracy with which astronomers can predict where an object will be years or decades in the future improves dramatically.