Asteroid in Siberia: Fourth imminent impactor of 2024 strikes over Yakutia

An asteroid on a collision course with Earth discovered early on Tuesday (Dec 3) became the fourth imminent impactor of 2024. It hit our planet over Siberia hours later. The small space rock measured around 1.6 to four feet, about the size of a small bicycle tyre. The asteroid was first named C0WEPC5 and was later officially designated 2024 XA1.

It entered the atmosphere at 1:14 am local time on December 4 (9:45 pm IST on Dec 3) over Yakutia in northeastern Siberia and lit up in a nice fireball.

Some of its fragments possibly littered the area, with others vanishing in the sky itself.

The European Space Agency noticed the asteroid at 4:27 am ET (2:57 pm IST) and issued an alert of impact happening within the next few hours. The agency said that "the impact will be harmless."

Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona also identified the asteroid and issued an alert about it. It was moving at a velocity of about 15.5 km/s, as per NASA, and came from the southeast.

People shared videos of the asteroid on social media, showing a bright fireball that is white and also appears orange.

Also Read: Asteroid hits Earth near California moments after being discovered

There have been quite a few asteroid flybys in the past few weeks. According to NASA, 132 known asteroids have flown by Earth at a closer distance than the moon since October 2023. 

Another asteroid is set to fly by Earth on Wednesday. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an asteroid known as 2020 XR will come closest to Earth at 12:27 am ET (10:57 am IST) on Wednesday.

The last imminent impactor was seen over California in October this year. On October 22, an asteroid was discovered moments before it hit Earth over the coast of California. It was initially named A11dc6D and was officially called 2024 UQ.